누구의 무엇을 위한 ‘실용’인가?- 한국 민속학의 실천성 재고

Abstract

The main topic at the korean folklorist symposium of the year is "Folklore in the era of the practical and the performance system". With respect to this topic, I think the important tasks to be reflected are the following questions. Does the korean folklore have been solely focused on research, regardless of the practical so far? Rather, aren't there more such cases like to toe the government line and to serve in the capital with excuse to practical use of folklore? Also, aren't there more such cases to ignore the real life of people live "now and here", as to be devoted to folk as the remnants of old customs? As a result, aren't such cases the actual reason caused to the crisis of folklore useless in real life? In order to reflect this questions, examined this paper critically the existing practice-oriented studies. Especially focusing on ‘who and what is practical for?’, it rethought the important previous studies. At first, it investigated the thesis leading Chosun entertainment of Song and its realizing process and the studies of Song swayed between the government-patronized practice and the practice for the people. Next, focusing on the ‘New community movement’ caused the structural change of rural society and ordinary life at large, examined the paper the folklore noted this top-down modernization project with its salvage thesis and the incomplete thesis for present. Though it clarified this paper the crisis of folklore today we have reached, was induced from the studies ‘folklore without actor.’ And then this paper pointed out the conformism of salvage folklore that have served in making the local folklore to national property, the intangible cultural property to global cultural heritage. Consequently, the anti-essentialist folklore should be oriented to the polyphony and layered situation of subjects in the field, and our practical task is just the critical gaze and deep understanding to the micro field unfolding their everyday life.