Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

These days, we can observe a growing interest in Korean shamanic practices thanks to the general global situation, but also thanks to the increasing mobility of people and cultures and medial transmissions. In the encounter with a completely different culture from one’s own, there are challenges for both shamans and their novices. Despite the language barrier, both sides are making huge effort to understand each other - through the body language, translation assistance and practices themselves. Using the example of the three shamans that I have researched in recent years, I show some of the intercultural metamorphoses in this global context. One shaman mostly sticks to traditions but tries to promote them through various festivals around the world, another shaman tries to transfer authentic rituals to another cultural context based on his own scientific research, and the third shaman, in addition to his shamanic vocation, is also an actor and performer creating his own artistic creation. In all three cases we can conclude how diverse encounters between cultures and individuals are not contradicting to each other but are creating successful hybrid forms in a harmonious way.