The Form and Meaning of Shamanic Content Represented in Korean TV Entertainment Programs -Focusing on Buchaedosah, Knee-Drop Guru, and Ask the Bodhisattvas-
The Society Of Korean Literature, Eunwoo Lee
May 31, 2025 DOI: 10.52723/jkl.51.107 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that Buchaedosah, Knee-Drop Guru, and Ask the Bodhisattvas form a genealogy of Korean TV programs that appropriate shamanism's core "problem and resolution" structure, using shaman–believer casting and shrine-like settings to turn shamanism into entertainment that offers emotional resonance and practical advice while negotiating traditional culture, K-content, and digital sovereignty. |
Abstract
In recent years, Korean TV entertainment programs have increasingly incorporated shamanism as a central theme, creating new forms of shamanistic expression within popular culture. This study analyzes how shamanic content is represented in three representative programs—Buchaedosah, Knee-Drop Guru, and Ask the Bodhisattvas—and examines their narrative structures and cultural implications. Despite their differences in format, subject matter, cast composition, and spatial settings, these programs form a kind of genealogy that reflects the characteristics of their respective media environments and time periods. What unites these programs is their common appropriation of the core shamanic structure of “problem and resolution.” In doing so, they transcend shamanism as mere custom or spectacle, instead functioning as platforms for emotional resonance and practical advice. The cast composition also mirrors the hierarchical relationship between shaman and believer, consistently deploying the image of the possessed shaman (gangshinmu). The use of props and settings evocative of shamanic shrines further enhances the multi-dimensional representation of shamanism. These programs visualize Korean folk identity by situating shamanism at the intersection of traditional culture and K-content, serving not only as a means of cultural localization but also as a point of engagement with global K-culture and digital sovereignty. By investigating how shamanism is normalized and transformed into entertainment within the television medium, this study sheds light on the contemporary reappropriation of shamanic practices and their dynamic interaction with popular media.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |