Rebuilding the "Eastern Country of Ritual Propriety": Decorum Camps, Sŏwŏn Stays, and the Confucian Revival in Contemporary Korea

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Amidst the widespread recent academic interest in the Confucian revival in contemporary China, it is easy to miss comparable developments taking place in neighboring South Korea. Through an analysis of official documentation and multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork, this paper aims to introduce the current revitalization of ancient Confucian schools and rites, and the boom in children's decorum camps and other Confucian-related educational programs on the Korean peninsula. Examining some of the schedules and curriculums, the textbooks studied, modernized rituals, and the agendas of the Ministry of Culture, the Confucian Association, and the New Religious Movement that lead the reforms, I deliberate upon possible reasons for this trend taking place at this particular time, contemplate the attempts to rebrand Confucianism as culture for better marketing, and point out some of the curious tensions and ironies this resurgence entails.