Korean Shamans and the Spirits of Capitalism
American Anthropologist September 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1525/aa.1996.98.3.02a00060 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 71 |
| Key points | Argues that "religion" is not a fixed category but an instrument of popular consciousness, and that magical cultural production is not confined to a society's most oppressed elements. Contends that, counter to Max Weber's account of capitalism as driven by "rationalization," many clients of Seoul's shaman shrines run high-risk petty-capitalist enterprises, with shamans, clients, and spirits addressing arbitrary fluctuations of fortune and commenting wryly on their world. |
Abstract
ABSTRACTS Recent studies have taught us that “religion” is not a fixed category but an instrument of popular consciousness. While the studies' subjects have often been victims of colonialism and capitalist exploitation, cultural production through magical means need not be restricted to a society's most oppressed elements. Counter to the expectations of Max Weber, for whom capitalism marched to the drumbeat of “rationalization,” many of the clients who patronize the shaman shrines of Seoul, Republic of Korea, are engaged in high‐risk petty‐capitalist enterprises. Shamans, clients, and spirits address the seemingly arbitrary fluctuations of good and bad fortune that can bring sudden wealth or ruin, and offer wry commentary upon what their world has become.