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HAN : FROM BROKENNESS TO WHOLENESS A Theoretical Analysis of Korean Women's Han and a Contextualized Healing Methodology A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the School of Theology at Claremont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Young Ae Kim May 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation, written by Young Ae Kim under the direction o/—her— Faculty Committee, and approved b)r its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Theology at Claremont in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Faculty Committee Chairman Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission ©1991 Young Ae Kim ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT HAN : From Brokenness to Wholeness A Theoretical Analysis of Korean Women's Han and a Contextualized Healing Methodology Young Ae Kim The predominant emotional suffering of the Korean people is called han. Han is a feeling of deep anxiety and a groaning pain due to the awareness of the human existential condition as finite. Also, han is the affliction and agony of the oppressed, particularly of the Korean women, casued by the layers of the dysfunctional patriarchal, hierarchical social structure which force people to be alienated from self, others, nature, and God. If this pervasive pain of the Korean people is to be healed, addressing the han of Korean women must be the primary task for a healing ministry. To heal Korean women's han, the fundamental structural problem has to be understood from various perspectives including world-view, and questions have to be raised and answered from Korean women's own life experiences and vision. Therefore, this research is launched primarily from Korean women's experiences, and includes an in- depth study of these experiences in relation to the Korean world-view. The main body of this dissertation, in addition to the methodological explanation and the definition of han, consists of three chapters which explore the fundamental, structural problems of han. Those are the socio-historical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of Korean society, and are reviewed particularly from a woman's perspective. The concluding chapter is a proposal of the hypothetical, contextualized healing methods which embrace both Korean traditions and Christianity. This study attempts to integrate traditional healing methods of shamanism rooted in Korean culture and psychological Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. theories which expand the understanding of human psyche for healing of Korean women's han. This study also presents a theological perspective which embraces both Korean women's han and the Korean world-view. The aim of this research is to lay groundwork for further studies in the area of han, and to promote more effective healing of Korean women in the future. But, the analysis of Korean women's han and Korean spirituality may reveal a possible avenue for the Korean Christian community to engage in building an indigenous theology. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgment When I started graduate studies a few years ago, I was surprised to hear my own name. My name sounded so strange, as if the name was not mine. I could not see myself as that name. I was nowhere. I was a shadow. I had lost my voice after so many years of efforts to be quiet. I tried very hard not to speak or to hear my inner voice-the voice for my life. In the deepest recesses of my soul, however, I knew that I was crying-crying for life and truth. I was a banful woman, but my han was not mine only. It was the han of my foremothers and the mothers of my country. I was not an I, I was a we; I was all women who have suffered so long without knowing how to release their han. My studies and this dissertation are an earnest attempt to release my han, which may help others to release theirs. My own hanpuri cannot be done without entangling the painful nods of other women who experienced han. Only when I was deeply immersed in my pain, and understood the root of my han, could my han touch others. Only when I went down into the abyss of my soul, could I touch others' souls. Only when I understood my culture, could I be connected to other cultures. My genuine hope is that this study, which embraces mine and other Korean women's han, may shed a light for other women to create a sacred space for healing. The healing journey will continue. But I do not have to be hatful, since the healing process has already started. It is true that the journey for healing was often full of pain, but there are so many people who have touched me with love and healing power. The ancestors of my people, suffering Korean women, women in other cultures, colleagues, teachers, and friends, have all enriched my life. But most of all, I sincerely want to share my joy of healing with; my spiritual mentor Sundo Kim; my main advisor, Howard Clinebell, Jr., who not only saw the possibilities in me and trusted me in spite of my own doubts about myself to continue my journey, but also encouraged me to open my iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. eyes to healing for whole creation; Mary Elizabeth Moore who patiently guided me through the period of writing this dissertation with care; and Andrew S. Park who advised me on academic matters and strengthened my shaking confidence. I also want to extend my sincere gratitude to Elaine Walker. Writing a dissertation in English has been difficult for me beyond my imagination. Without her, and her patience, this work could not have been shaped as it is now. My family was destined to walk with me in my journey. More often they had to share an unfair amount of my pain. But through this process, all of us have grown and become a stronger family with love. I thank my mother who supported me in many ways, and my two sons who have survived successfully in a foreign country. I especially want to thank my husband, Hyo Koo Lee, who had to be separated from the family during my studies, and went through a process of his own liberation, often with pain. Without his support and love, I would not have come this far. My shell is shattered-my cocoon. Shattered is the fear, not me. I am flying. I am a butterfly, a wind, a flower, a tree___ I am You. I am We. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction Purpose of the Study Method of the Study Limitation of the Study 2. The Meaning of Han Han from Broken Relatedness of the External World Han from Broken Relatedness of the Inner World Han as Existential Anxiety Han as Meaninglessness Han as Separation Anxiety Han as Frustration Han as Dynamic Power Conclusion 3. Research Methodology and Data Analysis Research Methodology’ Storytelling Grounded Theory Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Data Analysis and Results 29 Categories of the Interview Data 29 4. Theoretical Analysis of Korean Women's Han from a Socio-Historical Perspective 37 Patriarchy and Korean History 38 Prehistoric Period 38 From Kochoson to the Koryo Period 44 Yi Dynasty Period 48 Patriarchy and the Korean Women's World 53 Women in Confucian Philosophy 54 Korean Women's Reality and Han 60 Patriarchy and Power 66 Poverty and Hard Labor for Korean Women 66 Power and Violence 71 Conclusion 84 5. Theoretical Analysis of Korean Women's Han from a Psychological Perspective 87 Korean Personality and Korean Women's Learned Self 89 Korean Communal Personality 90 Korean Women's Learned Self 95 The Psychological Process of Becoming Korean Women 103 Quest for Self 122 Self and Boundary 122 Self: Polarity and Harmony 127 Conclusion 137 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6. Theoretical Analysis of Korean Women's Han from a Spiritual Perspective 139 Shamanism as Korean Spirituality 140 Shamanism in the Early Period 141 From Three Kingdoms to the Koryo Period 147 Traditional and New Religious Ideologies in the Yi Period 152 Christianity in the Modem Period 157 Function of Spirituality for Korean Women's Han 172 Religious Experience of Shamanism and Korean Women's Han 173 Christianity and Korean Women's Han 179 Image of God in Shamanism and Christianity 189 Process of Re-constructing an Image 189 Image of God in the Korean Mind 194 Image of God for Korean Christian Women 200 Conclusion 205 7. Contextualized Healing Metholodgy for Korean Women's Han 209 Traditional Healing Methodology for Korean Women's Han 211 Wounded Healer in Korean Shamanism 212 Ritual in Korean Shamanism for Healing Korean Women's Han 215 Individual Ritual 218 Community Ritual 222 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.