A Marginal Religion and COVID-19 in South Korea: Shincheonji, Public Discourse, and the Shaping of Religion
In the spring of 2020, South Korea became the second most infected country in the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid spread of the virus was attributed to a Christian religious group known as Shincheonji. The association of this already controversial religion with the spread of the virus quickly led to pu...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2021
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| In: |
Nova religio
Year: 2021, Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 40-63 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
South Korea
/ Shincheonji
/ COVID-19 (Disease)
/ Pandemic
/ Discrimination
/ Liberty of religious exercise
/ Discourse analysis
/ History 2020-2021
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AG Religious life; material religion KBM Asia KDH Christian sects TK Recent history ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies |
| Further subjects: | B
marginal religion
B Covid-19 B Shincheonji B Mass Media B Religious Freedom B Korea |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In the spring of 2020, South Korea became the second most infected country in the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid spread of the virus was attributed to a Christian religious group known as Shincheonji. The association of this already controversial religion with the spread of the virus quickly led to public condemnation of the group. The public response to the group's association with the virus was, in part, built on an existing foundation of distrust and suspicion. In this paper, I examine the details of Shincheonji's association with the coronavirus and the public reaction to it. I show the political work done by classificatory language pertaining to religion, specifically as it influences perceptions of the legitimacy of marginal religions and how the public should treat them. I also examine how public discourses on what religion should or should not do shape the definitions and boundaries of religion and associated categories. |
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| ISSN: | 1541-8480 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nova religio
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1525/nr.2021.25.1.40 |