@article{ART003371694},
author={김주윤},
title={From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma},
journal={International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL)},
year={2026},
volume={23},
number={23},
pages={41-59}
TY - JOUR
AU - 김주윤
TI - From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma
JO - International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL)
PY - 2026
VL - 23
IS - 23
PB - Glocal Institute of Language and Literary Studies(GILLS)
SP - 41
EP - 59
AB - Although the popularization of Korean shamanism has grown considerably in recent years, academic research on the realistic conditions of shaman communities remains scarce, and studies on the mudang—the shaman who mediates between shamanism and the public—are even harder to find. This study focuses on the representation of the shaman’s image in the film Exhuma to examine how contemporary shamanism and shamans appear in and are received by popular culture, and through this, to explore the reconstruction of the identity of Korean shamans.
Exhuma reimagines the shaman not as a traditional mediator of faith but as an agentive figure who actively resolves problems in modern society. The shaman Hwa-rim, in particular, is portrayed not merely as one who performs rituals, but as an expert-like figure who grasps the essence of a crisis and plays a decisive role in solving it. In the film, shamanism functions as an object of sensory experience and visual consumption, and both Hwa-rim and Bong- gil are constructed as characters designed to appeal to contemporary audiences.
Today’s popular culture captures shamans through aesthetic codes and emotional narratives, consuming them in new ways—a phenomenon that extends beyond film into experiential pop-up stores and fan-driven secondary creations. Exhuma stands as a symbolic case of this broader trend, demonstrating both the normalization of shamanism in everyday life and the expanding perception of the mudang in Korean society today.
KW - K-Occult;Exhuma;Mudang(Korean Shaman);Shaman Film;Spiritual Service;Gender;Popularization of Shamanism
DO -
UR -
ER -
김주윤. (2026). From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma. International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL), 23(23), 41-59.
김주윤. 2026, "From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma", International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL), vol.23, no.23 pp.41-59.
김주윤 "From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma" International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL) 23.23 pp.41-59 (2026) : 41.
김주윤. From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma. 2026; 23(23), 41-59.
김주윤. "From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma" International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL) 23, no.23 (2026) : 41-59.
김주윤. From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma. International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL), 23(23), 41-59.
김주윤. From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma. International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL). 2026; 23(23) 41-59.
김주윤. From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma. 2026; 23(23), 41-59.
김주윤. "From Mediators of Faith to Familiar Presences: Changes in the Perception of Korean Shamans through the Film Exhuma" International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL) 23, no.23 (2026) : 41-59.
