| Abstract [eng] |
The subject of this master’s thesis is the theme of shamanism and its representation in contemporary South Korean cinematography. Shamanism has played an important role in historical, political and cultural context of Korean society, since it is considered to be related to the myth of origins of the Korean nation. Throughout the history, depending on different socio-cultural, socio-political circumstances, shamanism has been conceived ambivalently among citizens. Yet, in contemporary times the importance and display of shamanism has been growing. Henceforth, its popularity is also reflected in terms of cinematography as shamanism and shaman characters are becoming more and more present in contemporary cinema and television. The purpose of this thesis is to recognize and analize the representation of shamanism in contemporary cinematography; to do so, the representation of shamanism will be looked at from nationalistic, ethno-symbolic perspectives, as well as theories of cultural memory and nostalgia will be used in order to answer the main question of the thesis: what kind of nationalistic ideas are reflected in the representation of shamanism, how they are elaborated and demonstrated in the cinematography and what are the possible reasons for channelling controversial folk practice of shamanism in order to articulate such ideas in contemporary South Korean movies and TV series? The research has revealed that the imagery of shamanism and shamanic heroes in contemporary cinematography is leaning towards positive representation. Through shaman characters certain aspects of transcendental, traditional knowledge and wisdom are articulated, which correspond with the idea of local culture being the source of truth and wisdom. The action of sacrifice of the shaman reflects one of the important aspects of nationalism – sacrifice for nation and for the well-being of fellow community. The importance of shaman as the guardian of values, such as family, which is crucial in Confucian philosophy, as well as a matter of great importance in nationalistic discourse, is clearly visible. Also, the films and TV shows show a tendency to articulate certain critiques targeted towards Christianity as a foreign cultural product, and due to this, the imagery of shamanism and shaman characters is strengthened. The cultural production in question also contains some elements that could be identified as symbolic reminders of colonial trauma, which corresponds with the cultural memory and certain aspects of nostalgia among Korean nation. Hence, these examples demonstrate increasing tendencies to represent shamanism as a symbol of koreanness and the carrier of cultural, national identity in contemporary South Korean cinematography. |
