Cultural Blending in Korean Death Rites: New Interpretive Approaches

Cultural Blending in Korean Death Rites examines the cultural encounter of Confucianism and Christianity with particular reference to death rites in Korea. As its overarching interpretive framework, this book employs the idea of the ‘total social phenomenon', a concept first introduced by the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss (1872-1950). From the perspective of the total social phenomenon, this book utilizes a combination of theological, historical, sociological and anthropological approaches, and explores Korean death rites by classifying them into three categories: ritual before death (Bible copying), ritual at death (funerary rites),and ritual after death (ancestral ritual). It focuses on Christian practices as they epitomize the complex interplay of Confucianism and Christianity. By drawing on a total social phenomenon approach to the empirical case of Korean death rites, Chang-Won Park contributes to the advancement of theory and method in religious studies.

Pioneering study of the fascinating blending of Christian and Confucian traditions in Korea before, at and after death.

Cultural Blending in Korean Death Rites examines the cultural encounter of Confucianism and Christianity with particular reference to death rites in Korea. As its overarching interpretive framework, this book employs the idea of the ‘total social phenomenon', a concept first introduced by the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss (1872-1950).

From the perspective of the total social phenomenon, this book utilizes a combination of theological, historical, sociological and anthropological approaches, and explores Korean death rites by classifying them into three categories: ritual before death (Bible copying), ritual at death (funerary rites),and ritual after death (ancestral ritual). It focuses on Christian practices as they epitomize the complex interplay of Confucianism and Christianity. By drawing on a total social phenomenon approach to the empirical case of Korean death rites, Chang-Won Park contributes to the advancement of theory and method in religious studies.

Cultural Blending in Korean Death Rites examines the cultural encounter of Confucianism and Christianity with particular reference to death rites in Korea. As its overarching interpretive framework, this book employs the idea of the ‘total social phenomenon', a concept first introduced by the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss (1872-1950).

From the perspective of the total social phenomenon, this book utilizes a combination of theological, historical, sociological and anthropological approaches, and explores Korean death rites by classifying them into three categories: ritual before death (Bible copying), ritual at death (funerary rites),and ritual after death (ancestral ritual). It focuses on Christian practices as they epitomize the complex interplay of Confucianism and Christianity. By drawing on a total social phenomenon approach to the empirical case of Korean death rites, Chang-Won Park contributes to the advancement of theory and method in religious studies.

Foreword by Professor Douglas Davies (University of Durham, UK)Introduction1. Interpretive Frameworks    Total Social Phenomenon    The Confucian-Christian Interplay in Korea    Embodiment, Exchange and Material Culture2. Bible-Copying (Ritual before Death)    The Practice of Copying the Bible    An Historical-Theological Analysis of Bible-Copying    A Sociological -Anthropological Analysis of Bible-Copying3. Funerary Practice (Ritual at Death)    Changing Funeral Customs in Contemporary Korea    An Historical-Theological Analysis of Funerary Practice    A Sociological-Anthropological Analysis of Funerary Practice4. Ancestral Rites (Ritual After Death)     Ancestral Ritual and Christianity in Korea (1784-2006)    An Historical-Theological Analysis of Ancestral Rites    A Sociological-Anthropological Analysis of Ancestral RitesConclusion BibliographyIndex