Healing through Gender Inversion in Korean Possession Trance Rituals
TDR/The Drama Review September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1162/dram_a_00940 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractKorean shamanism (musok) attributes physical, social, and mental health problems to supernatural intervention. Male practitioners who become healers in this female-dominated field engage in cross-gender behavior that Korean society often stigmatizes as homosexuality and labels a mental illness. Musok, however, interprets these behaviors as responses to demands from the spirit world, offering an alternative framework that destigmatizes them.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Argues that Korean shamanism frames male healers' cross-gender behavior as responses to spirit-world demands, contrasting with societal stigma that labels such behavior as mental illness. |
Abstract
Korean shamanism ( musok) considers problems of physical, social, and mental health to be a result of supernatural intervention. The unique position of male practitioners who become healers within a female-dominated sphere is especially telling as they perform cross-gender behavior that is perceived as related to homosexuality, which is stigmatized in Korea and often labeled as a “mental illness.” In contrast, musok frames these behaviors as responses to demands from the spirit world.