• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

CONFUCIAN PROTESTANT CHURCHES CROSSING THE PACIFIC: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF PRE-CHRISTIAN ASIAN INFLUENCES ON KOREAN IMMIGRANT CHURCHES IN AMERICA A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Byung Kwan Chae May 2014 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Terry Rey, Advisory Chair, Religion Dr. Sydney D. White, Religion Dr. Leonard Swidler, Religion Dr. Kimberly A. Goyette, External Member, Sociology © Copyright 2014 by Byung Kwan Chae All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT This dissertation is a sociological exploration of Korean Protestant immigrant churches in the United States and the influence of Confucian traditions on them. Neo- Confucianism was accepted as the state ideology in Korea in the late fourteenth century, and its influences are still strong in Koreans’ expressions of thought and worldviews, and Korean immigrants in the United States are no exception. Confucian elements are observed not only in Korean Protestant churches in Korea but also Korean immigrant churches in the United States. Thus, it can be said that Korean immigrant churches have the characteristics of a transnational religious institution. Transnationally, Confucian characteristics affect Korean churches. Further, Confucian traditions are integral to a collective consciousness for Korean immigrants, and thus their relationships and manners, based on Confucian traditions and teachings, enable them to maintain and reinforce their social solidarity. Moreover, such Confucian teachings and cultural mores are inculcated in most Koreans’ habitus. As social agents, church members use symbolic capital, such as age and Confucian manners, to gain higher status in the church. In particular, age can be considered generational capital that determines and legitimizes church members’ positions. Indeed, Korean Protestant churches across the Pacific can be called Confucian Protestant churches, namely, Protestant churches imbued with Confucian traditions. Korean immigrant churches are transnational and socially cohesive religious institutions that are shaped profoundly by Confucian traditions inculcated in their adherents’ habitus across seas and generations. iii DEDICATION For Okju and our children iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There have been a number of people who have assisted me in arriving at this place today. Without their incessant encouragement and support, my dissertation could not have been completed. Thus, I realize that these acknowledgements are not enough to express my profound gratitude to them. First and foremost, my deepest thanks go to my spouse, Okju Lee, who has been a wonderful companion during this academic journey in the United States. She has been the best wife and friend one could imagine, and she is the amazing mother of our three sons, SiOn, SiIn, and Won. I would like to thank her for her sacrifice and patience for our family. Likewise, I extend gratitude to my parents, Su Won Chae and Sin Ja Byun, for their love and unfailing prayers for me and my family. Another special thanks also go to my mother-in-law, Young Gyo Kwon, my brother, Byung Jik Chae, and my wife’s siblings for their love and support in countless ways. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee: Dr. Terry Rey, Dr. Sydney D. White, Dr. Leonard Swidler, and Dr. Kimberly A. Goyette. They have provided irreplaceable tools and sources for my academic success. Dr. Terry Rey, my primary advisor, has been extremely generous to me with his time. He has thoroughly and repeatedly edited my dissertation throughout its numerous revisions. I have no words to express my heartfelt gratitude to him for his perceptive comments and feedback, which helped me develop my ideas and be an even better writer than before. Dr. Sydney D. White has enriched my understanding of East Asian traditions as well as Korean traditions for this project, recommending treasured scholars like Laurel Kendall. Dr. Leonard Swidler has also recommended to me outstanding scholars for my academic v success. I still remember my first meeting with Dr. Swidler in spring 2007. At that time, I had not yet determined whether or not I would start my doctoral program at Temple University. Yet, after meeting with him with my wife, I decided to start my studies at Temple. Once again, I would like to thank Dr. Swidler for the warm welcome. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Goyette for being my external reader and sharing her time with me. I also wish to express my deep gratitude to the Korean immigrant congregations in the Philadelphia area. My special thanks go especially to the three churches, even if I cannot reveal their real names here. They were more than willing to open their doors to me and allow me to participate in their services and church programs. The churches also allowed me to interview their congregants with pleasure. Special thanks to the fifty-four interviewees in the three churches, who provided valuable information and data for my research. Indeed, I owe an undying debt of gratitude to them. Without their voluntary and open-hearted participation in the interviews, I could not have made any progress in my project. Last but not least, my special thanks go to Jennifer Kang for editing more than half of the manuscript of this dissertation. I would like to place on record my sincere appreciation for the support and prayers provided by the Peace Korean Reformed Church. I am thankful to God for having such wonderful congregants of the church in my life. Soli Deo gloria! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................2 Purpose and Methods of the study ...........................................................................5 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................7 Scope of the Study .................................................................................................11 Organization of the Dissertation ............................................................................12 2. SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS FOR THE EXPLORATION OF KOREAN CHURCHES: TRANSNATIONAL RELIGION THROUGH A DURKHEIMIAN/ BOUDIEUIAN LENS ...............................................................16 Transnationalism and Transnational Religion .......................................................16 La Conscience Collective and Social Solidarity ....................................................23 La Conscience Collective ...........................................................................23 Social Solidarity .........................................................................................26 Bourdieu’s Habitus, Field, and Capital ..................................................................29 vii Habitus .......................................................................................................30 Field ...........................................................................................................32 Capital ........................................................................................................34 Conclusion .............................................................................................................38 3. CONFUCIANISM IN KOREA ...................................................................................39 Historical Developments of Confucianism in China and Its Spread to Korea ......................................................................................................................39 A Brief Overview of Korean Religions before the Emergence of Confucianism ...................................................................................................44 Confucianization of the Joseon Dynasty................................................................48 A Hierarchical Social Organization ...........................................................51 Women and Korean Confucianism ............................................................57 Filial Piety and Ancestor Veneration .........................................................63 Confucianism in Korea Today ...............................................................................71 Filial Piety and Ancestor Veneration .........................................................73 Hierarchical Social Relationships ..............................................................77 Weness .......................................................................................................79 Conclusion .............................................................................................................80 4. CONFUCIAN

Load more

  254

Copy Link