Korean Confucianism versus Shamanism

While Korean women were often seen as inferior to men given the Yi Dynasty's emphasis on neo-Confucianism, two categories of women stood out as notable exceptions - the professional shaman (mudang) and the professional entertainer (kisaeng).

As Martina Deuchler noted, "although treated with contempt, these women rendered indispensable professional services."

Indeed, early documents hinted of their importance in the preceding Koryo dynasty where shamans not only received official recognition, but were also called upon to pray for rain in times of drought.

But the shamans' most valued function was in the art of healing and in exorcising evil spirits. Hence, it came as little surprise that shamans were feared for their power to communicate with the spirits, and Yi Dynasty officials were said to have viewed shamans as dangerous manipulators "who subjected the rational human world to the irrational."

To neutralize the shamans' influence, Yi Dynasty officials relegated them to base status and banned them from cities. But despite that, Shamanism survived 500 years of Confucian suppression - "vivid testimony to its inherent strength in Korea's religious tradition."

As Deuchler noted: "The paucity of references to shamanism in literary sources does not signify a Confucian victory over indigenous "superstition". The shaman's lore was transmitted orally from generation to generation."