• Journal of Korean Theatre Studies Association
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• no.48
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• pp.51-84
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• 2012

In Korea, historical plays took an epoch-making turn from the previous historical plays in terms of approaches to topic and material and methods of rewriting history in the 1990s. Historical plays became dehistoricized with individual, everyday life, and faction emerging as major codes of historical plays according to mistrust in history and grand narrative as the original and disappearance of trust in the growth and totality of history. A new trend became dominant of presenting fictionality prominent instead of reproduction of history and freely playing with history outside the context. While modern historical plays were subject to the content of history, post-modern historical plays sought after new history writing to tell a new story on history within a framework of fiction. Focusing on some of the trends in post-modern historical plays since the 1990s, which include play with history, daily life-style history writing, and reproduction patterns of colonial modernity, this study examined the goals, representations, and text strategies of new history writing in three historical plays, Generation After Generation(2000) by Park Geunhyung, The Mercenaries(2000) by Park Sujin, and Chosun Detective Hong Yunshik(2007) by Sung Giwoong. In Generation After Generation, the author adopts a plot of starting with the present and tracing back to the past, breaking down the myth of racially homogeneous nation. At the same time, he discloses that the colonial history is not just by the oppressive force of Japan but also by the voluntary cooperation of Korean people. That is, we are also accountable for the colonial history of the nation. The Mercenaries contrasts the independence movement during the colonial period against the modern history developed after Liberation, thus highlighting the still continuing coloniality, namely post-colonial present. The past is presented as the "phantom of history" making its appearance according to the request of the present hoping for salvation. The author politicizes history and grants political wishes to history by summoning the history by personal memories such as fictional diaries and letters with Messiah-like images opposed to the present of collapse and catastrophe. In Chosun Detective Hong Yunshik, the author makes an attempt at the microscopic reproduction of daily life by approaching the 1930s as the modern period when capitalist daily life started to take root. The lists of signs comprising daily life in colonial Gyeongseong are divided between civilization and savagery and between modern and premodern. With the progress of narrative, however, they become mixed together and reversed in the representation system in which the latter overwhelms the former.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.49
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• pp.303-330
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• 2017

This paper examines the origin of the current Nigerian Yoruba artistic and cultural tradition through ancient artifacts and creation myths centered on $Il{\acute{e}}-If{\acute{e}}$ (or $If{\acute{e}}$) located in the southwestern part of Nigeria and recognition of cultural relativity. In the oral tradition, kingdoms of Ijebu, Oyo, and Benin all have their origins in the ancient city of $Il{\acute{e}}-If{\acute{e}}$, the cradle of Yoruba culture. Their founders were sons of Oduduwa, the god of Yoruba. In this way, kingdoms built around $Il{\acute{e}}-Ife$ were closely connected with culture, religion, and society. In order to understand the Yoruba culture, research on $Il{\acute{e}}-Ife$, the source of their artistic and cultural traditions, is very important. The Yoruba are deeply rooted in $Il{\acute{e}}-Ife$. They have been steadily preserving their artistry since the beginning. They have been using it in their lives to this day for centuries. Their evidences are mythology and Ifa divination system. They are cultural heritages that represent the art of Yoruba and the spiritual culture. Ifa devination system is one of Yoruba traditions associated with Yoruba gods 'Eshu' and 'Ifa'. It has been conducted among the Yoruba until now. If the culture and civilization of Africa, including these Yoruba traditional customs, are deemed illogical and superstitious, it would mislead their efforts to preserve the origin in its original form. If so, one should understand the relativity of other cultures and civilizations and the need for diversity and flexibility of value standards to judge their cultures and civilizations.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.90-98
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• 2011

This study aims to discuss the characteristics of garden architecture in Italian Renaissance Villa Lante that was constructed by the cardinal in Bagnaia at 16th century through actual survey and analysis of the garden's elements. To do this, it was studied in two ways: Analysis of the present conditions and review historical documents. The results are as follows. First, the buildings, the gardens and the surrounding landscapes are visually connected each other in relations between the topography and the surrounding landscapes. Second, the spatial composition accepted Neoplatonic law of multiple proportions and was influenced by ancient myth and "Liber ruralium commodorum" of Pietro de Crescenzi(1305). Third, the garden's elements consist of plants, buildings and items. In plants, the upper plants are fir tree, cypress and pine tree and the lower plants are english holly, box tree and sweet oleander. The buildings are casino, loggia and terrace. The items are pot, sundial, chair, viewing platform and fountain. The result of this study, the political and social, technical phenomena which constitute construction pattern affected the locational property and the spatial organization of the neighbor on Villa Lante.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.43-75
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• 2011

The article focuses on the impact and Acceptance of Hindu culture in Modern Southeast Asian Buddhism. The purpose of this study is to examine critically the influential epic Ramayana on Siam culture, Thai Ramayana version 'Ramakien', reveal instances of Buddhist Modification. The Ramayana by the great sage Valmiki is considered by Indians to be the first great literary work to be produced in India. The influence of this work is to be seen not only through centuries but even in other countries, such as Thailand where there are modified modern versions. In this paper, I have three objectives : (1) I may discuss the epic Ramayana of India gave birth to the Ramakien of Thailand. In modern times Valmiki's epic was made to fit the spiritual trends current in the new Chakri dynasty, which were themselves based on Brahmanic tradition and Theravada buddhism. With regarding to the structure of the Traibhumi cosmography, and the relationship between merit and power implied by this cosmography ranks all beings from demons to deities in a hierarchy of merit which accrues according to karma the actions of past lives. (2) I analyze how to have attempted to dissect the Hindi and Thai version of the Ramayana. The Hindu concept of kingship is also depicted in the life of Rama. The Hindus see in Rama the norm of a true Hindu life characterized by the Caste and Dharma. In Thai transformed version, it does not preach Hindu values of personal or social life. The Ramakien emphasized that the Buddhism were higher than all other laws, and that the King is regarded as the incarnation of Phra Ram, and thus is also the narration of the righteous buddhist ruler. (3) I discuss how cultural or social contexts can influence the structure of the royal Wat. The whole epic was painted by the order of Rama I in the galleries of the Wat Phra Keo. In other words, it is the very centre of the dynastic cult enshrining the Emerald Buddha, the most iconic expression of the Ramakien tradition were officially amalgamated. Rama I was continued the process of elaborating and stabilizing the complex religious pattern, with Buddhism at the pinnacle. My finding will support the idea that the Ramakien is particularly appealing to the Thai people because it presents the image of an ideal king, Rama, who symbolizes the force of virtue or dharma while Thotsakan represents the force of evil. Eventually the force of good prevails. Being Buddhists, the Thai poets bring into the story the Buddhist philosophy(especially, the law of cause and effect, karma). This paper examines the role of the Hindu epic Ramayana in the historical and cultural contact between Hindu India and Buddhist Southeast Asia. It should now be possible to evaluate what elements of Hindu culture were transmitted into Thai through the Rama story.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.52
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• pp.213-241
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• 2017

The systematic research on the Joseon history under Japanese imperialism in the 1920s, including that of the Joseon History Compilation Committee, was one of the stratagems that Japan employed to perpetuate the colonization of Joseon. The 'renovation of national traits', one of the three cultural measures taken by Japanese imperialism after the 1919 Independence Movement, was an attempt to degrade Joseon's nationality as extraneous, dependent, factional, and uncivilized. Against this, Koreans tried to create their own tradition that could prove Joseon's uniqueness and independence. The purpose of their study on ancient history, which became animated in the 1920s, was not to escape from the reality of Joseon into the idealized past, but to construct the history of Korean people anew. In this context, Dangun could refer to cultural identity as the communal origin of the nation, and this invented identity could lead to the healing of the injured subject. An Hwak's attempt was part of this efforts to call out myth as history. He suggests that Joseon's national traits are superior even to the Western civilization in several ways, and his vast plan to set up Joseon's cultural uniqueness and identity as history of universal civilization bore fruit in the History of Joseon Civilization. With cultural research for figuring out Joseon's national peculiarity and identity and historiography for revealing Joseon's national potential, he makes it possible for people to imagine various agents in the Joseon's past as belonging to a single nation with an identical history. Through his study on Joseon, he fought back the Japanese colonial view of history and tried to exalt national consciousness. Asserting independent and rational individuals as agency of civilization and culture though firm in the national perspective, he eventually went a way quite different from that of Japanese history of culture.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.379-385
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• 2021

Tattoo, which has been 5000 years' history is the symbol of the collective society. It was used as one of the methods not only to defense and camouflage but also to decorate themselves. In modern society, tattoo culture is either limited to ethnic minorities or be used as a decorative element of personal preference. Among them, the Chinese ethnic minority, the Dai, is still maintaining its tattoo culture, but gradually faded. Hence, the necessity of protecting the tattoo culture of the Dai is essential. The procedures and methods of this study were conducted by analyzing an antique book, explore residential areas, data research, and data collection through interviews. According to research, the tattoo culture of the Dai has been consistently passed down through traditional tattoo pictorial books, the memories of tattooists, and the stories of people who got tattoos. However, the Dai's traditional culture and customs are influenced by the China political reform between 1952 and 1956, confirming that the size of tattoo culture was reduced than before and evanesces. As a result, in order to inherit the ethnic minorities Dai's tattoo heritage, records of tattoo culture are required. Besides, it is considered that the records of tattoo culture and interpretations of tattoo culture by tattooists and the people who got a tattoo due to aging in the future should be studied.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.35
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• pp.1-37
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• 2020

In this paper, we investigated the principle of appropriation by which mythology and literature were accepted in the unique religious context of The Canonical Scripture (Jeongyeong 典經). First, we knew that almost all of the gods that appeared in the discourse of Kang Jeungsan (姜甑山) were related to Eastern Yi (東夷) mythology and deeply rooted in folklore. This is because the cultural tendency and historic consciousness of Kang Jeungsan was influenced by Danhakpa (the Danhak School 丹學派). Secondly, when we investigated the acceptance of literature into The Canonical Scripture, we discovered that Tang Poetry (唐詩), Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguoyanyi 三國演義), and Journey to the West (Xiyouji 西遊記) were widely accepted in Kang Jeungsan's discourse. These works were used in diverse ways such as predictions, healing, and meditation. We knew that popular classical work like these were religiously appropriated in the context of The Canonical Scripture. Lastly, we investigated the mechanisms by which mythical and literary imagination was transformed into the Jeungsanist religious movements. Those mechanisms included the magical power of letter and images, sense-cognition of poetry, and the representational ability of mimesis. In conclusion, mythical and literary imagination helped Jeungsanist religious movements gain popularity and spread Kang Jeungsan's soteriology. This is especially true of how it transformed into unique religious techniques which functioned as key elements of the Reordering Works (公事).

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.348-354
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• 2023

A tattoo is a cultural form that has been handed down to mankind for a long time. Traditional tattoo customs that have been handed down and developed in the various cultures of mankind have the important value of academic research in various fields such as history, art, society, etc. The Derung people, one of the minorities living in Yunnan Province and nearby areas in the southwest of China, have 'facial tattoo' customs. The traditional culture of the Derung people, which had maintained the form of primitive society until 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established, was passed down through oral tradition, so there are no preserved materials about their tattoo culture, showing the need for research on the culture. Therefore, it was conducted in two ways: a research on modern and contemporary literature and a field trip to Yunnan Province. The exact reason and time of facial tattoo customs are unknown, but the customs disappeared after being banned in 1966 due to the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The symbols and functions of facial tattoos can be largely divided into four categories, including religious worship, coming-of-age ceremonies, aesthetic decorations, and ethnic and social history, through an on-site survey and research by modern and contemporary scholars. And, it is known that women of the Derung People get tattoos from the age of 7 to 8. The design of facial tattoos became more complicated for upper-class women and simpler for lower-class women depending on the area they live. Tattoos are mainly performed by relatives, and mainly bamboo skewers and lixivium extracted from the bottom of the pot are used as the materials. Currently, there are fewer than 25 women of the Derung people with facial tattoos, and most of them are elderly. Therefore, they seem to disappear altogether within a few decades. Therefore, it is urgent to have documentation on the unique facial tattoo culture of the Derung people.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.29-51
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• 2010

The diversity of Southeast Asia can be also represented at the tremendous number of ethnic groups residing throughout its various regions even beyond national boundaries. What does it mean by the composite of numerous peoples? It has triggered a lot of problems in a nation or overall Southeast Asia. Among them, the most serious one seems to be ethnic conflicts having damaged national integration and caused political, economical, and social instability. In that respect, Karen people have been a minority group situated in the most chronic dispute in Myanmar. Since 1947 some of the Karen equipped with armed forces have been fighting against the military government currently ruling Myanmar. As the result, the refugees over 200,000 population had moved to the mountain camps located at neighboring Thailand, attracting a lot of attention throughout international societies. According to 1931 census by British colonial government, the Karen have the greatest numbers in population as minority and include 16 subgroups including Karenni(Kayah) and Pa-O seemingly excluded from its category in contemporary point of view. It means that Karen people should not be regarded as an ethnic group, and in fact do not show a homogeneous identity under the title of Karen. Given the situation, we need to reconsider the category of Karen. What does the Karen mean in a real sense? Previous studies on the Karen had been performed mainly by anthropologists or missionaries such as Marshall(1922), Hamilton (1976), Hanson Tadaw(1959), Smeaton(1920), Keyes(1979), Hayami (1992; 2004), etc. Most of them examined the Karen as a group and ignored the possibilities of representing the divergent identities vis-à-vis their subgroups. Therefore, they have focused on the myth to convert Karen people to Christianity, although the Christian Karens are less than 20% of total population. As a result, I argue that they would fail to define the real meaning of Karen. It has been caused us to recognize the Karen as a meaningless total entity to be accepted by all means. According to their arguments, the difference among Karen's subgroups is just dealt with the trivial matters that do not affect the ethnic boundary itself, still maintaining the ethnic identity as Karen. As we shall see on this thesis, this is never the case. My thesis aims at uncovering and scrutinizing the real meaning of the category of Karen. For the purpose of it, I will consider Karen people as a linguistic group from the beginning as shown in 1931 census. I argue that the Karen have been affected or exposed by various conditions or environments throughout the harsh history having happened on the areas of current Myanmar and Thailand, leading the vicissitudes of their ethnic identities.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.71-92
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• 2023

This study investigates the symbolism and meaning of the bead design, its relationship with the Silla culture, and the conditions of glass bead manufacturing to verify the theory of Silla's production of Silla face-inlaid glass beads with excellent artistry and technology. The research method includes investigating the design analysis, ancient documents, myths, relics, glass, and metal production techniques. Moreover, Hongshan cultural relics and other cases of inlaid glass beads were collected. There are records in the literature that the people of Makhan, Buyeo and Silla of ancient Korea people considered beads as treasures and used them for accessories. It was confirmed that all the design elements of the bead-patterned hair topknot, golden crown, birds, and flower trees were closely related to the myth of Kim Al-ji of Silla, the oviparous tales and the sacred birds and divine beasts of the north. Moreover, the pattern and arrangements were found to be similar in other Silla relics. The origin of beads and face pendants was Hongsan culture, and a stone cast for beads was discovered in Bukpyo of Gojoseon, the lower-level culture of Hajiajeom. In addition, excavating inlaid glass beads from Sik-ri tombs of Korea and a face-inlaid glass bead from Toganmori tombs in Japan confirms the theory of Silla's production. The fact that the Baekje people of ancient Korea had a glass bead manufacturing office in Japan in the fifth centuries suggests that the Silla people also had a manufacturing plant in Java, Indonesia, because this place was a crossroads of Silla's Sea Silk Road and a source of raw materials and labors with a close relationship to Silla. Therefore, the face-inlaid glass bead was indeed self-made by Silla, who possessed the tradition of bead myths and hair topknot, and the high-level skills such as gold crowns and metal inlays.