Late Choson Society as Reflected in a Shamanistic Narrative: An Analysis of the Pari Kongju Muga

This article examines the social values and criticism contained in the Pari kongju muga, a narrative shaman's song that has long been orally transmitted over much of the Korean peninsula. Although this song has an important religious function in shamanistic eschatology, this study is primarily concerned with the social values and convictions reflected in the narrative. Particularly, this analysis will enable an understanding of the social ethics most important to late-Choson females-the primary adherents and celebrants of the shamanistic religion. Among these values, the most prominent is the strong critique of the dominant Neo-Confucian ideology, especially the practices surrounding male-child preference. Hence, this textual examination will enable cognizance of female aspirations in the late-Choson period.