This is a socio-historical study on the roles of Christian leaders of Daegu-Gyeungbuk area in the mist of the formation of 'socio-political conservativeness' and its socialization process. Main questions are as follows: What is the historical backgrou ...
This is a socio-historical study on the roles of Christian leaders of Daegu-Gyeungbuk area in the mist of the formation of 'socio-political conservativeness' and its socialization process. Main questions are as follows: What is the historical background against which the socio-political conservativeness peculiar to this region had been formed What are the roles of religious leaders and mechanism revealed in the process of socialization(internalization) of conservativeness
For the first year of research, the subjects were the relation of imperialist Japan and Christianity, the conflict of Christianity and socialism, the relationship of US military government with Catholicism and Protestantism, the cozy relationship and separation of Rhee government an Catholicism, and the close relationship of Chang Myon government and Catholicism. For the second year, the following subject are studied: the strengthening of anti-communist ideology, the deepening and spreading of the hostile regionalism, the establishment process of Honam phobia as a dominant ethos of this region's unique socio-political conservativeness, and the roles of Christianity during the military governments of Park's, Chun's, and Rho's. For the third year, the internalization and socialization process of the conservativeness by way of regional religious media was studied.
The following are the peculiarities revealed in the relationship of politics with the regional Christianity: the first one is revealed in the specific context of the historical process of formation and development of the regional conservativeness. For example, this region had built pro-Americanism and anti-communist ideology by way of experiencing ideological conflict around socialism, and the political event such as the October's People Strife in 1946.
Another peculiarity of the conservativeness was revealed by way of taking political advantage of local liaison network between the military governments, which established national security and stability as the political cause for the oppression of human rights and democracy, and the local religious groups that supported oppressive political activities in the name of anti-communism.
Additional emphasis should be given on the internal characteristics of the religious contents of the regional religious groups, that is, the conservative orientation of religious doctrine. For example, the adhesion of Demange, the bishop of Daegu parish, on the conservative doctrine and on the separation of religion and politics made it possible for Daegu Catholicism to accommodate to the political requirement of stability.
The regional Protestantism also has a strong religious orientation inherited from American Presbyterian Church that had shown pro-Japanese attitude due to America's close diplomatic relationship with Japan. Korean church under the influence of American missionaries took part in the pro-Japanese activities. Then, the ideological confrontation between atheism and socialism under the US-Soviet cold war and the experiences of Korean war and of religious persecution in North Korea made Christians stand in the van of attack on communism. Especially, the settlement of the church ministers from North Korea in the region of Daegu became a strengthening factor for the movement against communism.
The conservative religious attitude rejecting atheism, the confrontation of US and Soviet, and the experience of Korean War had formed the pro-American and anti-communist conservativeness. In addition to this kind of conservativeness which is general on the national level, this region, passing through the periods of military governments, had formed peculiar conservativeness with the exclusive dominant regionalism. The research conclusion is that the local Catholicism and Protestantism are not alien to the formation process of the peculiar conservative characteristics of Daegu-Gyeungbuk area.