The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems– both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.
Jung-Myung Lee's extraordinary The Investigation, translated by Chi-Young Kim, is set in a period of Korean history that isn't widely known in the West . . . a heart-wrenching novel with many unexpected twists.' – Sunday Times Longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Fukuoka Prison, 1944. Beyond the prison walls the war rages; inside a man is found brutally murdered. Yuichi Watanabe, a young guard with a passion for reading, is ordered to investigate. The victim, Sugiyama – also a guard – was feared and despised throughout the prison and inquiries have barely begun when a powerful inmate confesses. But Watanabe is unconvinced; and as he interrogates both the suspect and Yun Dong-ju, a talented Korean poet, he begins to realize that the fearsome guard was not all he appeared to be . . . As Watanabe unravels Sugiyama's final months, he begins to discover what is really going on inside this dark and violent institution, which few inmates survive: a man who will stop at nothing to dig his way to freedom; a governor whose greed knows no limits; a little girl whose kite finds her an unlikely friend. And Yun Dong-ju – the poet whose works hold such beauty they can break the hardest of hearts. As the war moves towards its devastating close and bombs rain down upon the prison, Watanabe realizes that he must find a way to protect Yun Dong-ju, no matter what it takes. This decision will lead the young guard back to the investigation – where he will discover a devastating truth . . . At once a captivating mystery and an epic lament for lost freedom and humanity in the darkest of times, The Investigation – inspired by a true story – is a sweeping, gripping tale perfect for fans of The Shadow of the Wind. 'It's a thriller, and a war story, and so much more besides. I tore through the last 100 pages, my heart literally racing at times. An intense, captivating achievement, inspired by reality.' - Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library
Being an immigrant is both being "in-between" two cultures, that of the immigrant and that of the dominant group, and being "in-both" of these cultures. It ultimately means being "in-beyond" the two cultures together. In this book a group of prominent Asian-American Christian theologians reflect in an autobiographical form on how being an Asian and a North American has shaped the way they understand the Christian story. As the United States becomes increasingly multiethnic and multicultural, this book offers useful suggestions on how to meet the challenge of cultural diversity in both Church and society.
In his inimitable, recursive, meditative style that reads like a comedic zen koan but contains universes, Seven Samurai Swept Away in a River recounts Korean cult writer's Jung Young Moon’s time spent at an artist’s and writers residency in small-town Texas. In an attempt to understand what a “true Texan should know,” the author reflects on his outsider experiences in this most unique of places, learning to two-step, musing on cowboy hats and cowboy churches, blending his observations with a meditative rumination on the history of Texas and the events that shaped the state, from the first settlers to Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald. All the while, the author is asking what a novel is and must be, while accompanied by a fictional cast of seven samurai who the author invents and carries with him, silent companions in a pantomime of existential theater. Jung blends fact with imagination, humor with reflection, and meaning with meaninglessness, as his meanderings become an absorbing, engaging, quintessential novel of ideas.
Being an immigrant is both being "in-between" two cultures, that of the immigrant and that of the dominant group, and being "in-both" of these cultures. It ultimately means being "in-beyond" the two cultures together. In this book a group of prominent Asian-American Christian theologians reflect in an autobiographical form on how being an Asian and a North American has shaped the way they understand the Christian story. As the United States becomes increasingly multiethnic and multicultural, this book offers useful suggestions on how to meet the challenge of cultural diversity in both Church and society.
This remarkable study articulates a Korean Confucian-Christian theory of human nature, encompassing the theory of justification, sanctification, and salvation by means of a reformed concept of filial piety. The book presents the theological anthropology of Robert C. Neville and the inclusive humanism of Tu Wei-ming as critical guides for the creation of a comparative, contemporary Korean theology.
Marginality proposes a framework that justifies and undergirds development of contextual theologies without becoming itself dominating. Jung Young Lee aims to address the dilemmas of contextual theology, not by moving one or another group from the margin to the center, but by redefining marginality itself as central.
This book is an English translation of the authoritative autobiography by the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. The 2000 Nobel Peace Prize winner, often called the Asian Nelson Mandela, is best known for his tolerant and innovative “Sunshine Policy” towards North Korea. Written in the five years between the end of his presidency and his death in 2009, this book offers a poignant first-hand account of Korea’s turbulent modern history. It spans the pivotal time span between the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) and reconciliation in the Korean Peninsula (2000-2009). In between are insightful insider descriptions of everything from wars and dictatorships to the hopeful period of economic recovery, blooming democracy, peace, and reconciliation. Conscience in Action serves as an intimate record of the Korean people’s persistent and heroic struggle for democracy and peace. It is also an inspiring story of an extraordinary individual whose formidable perseverance and selfless dedication to the values he believed in led him to triumph despite more than four decades of extreme persecution.
The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems– both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.
This book is for both evangelicals and ecumenicals interested in a holistic approach to the Christian vision of social transformation. The author compares Richard Mouw’s Reformed political theology and Nam-dong Suh’s Minjung theology to suggest a vision of transformation that is theologically more cogent and politically more engaged. In general, Minjung theology understands transformation in terms of political liberation and Reformed theology in terms of spiritual redemption, and theologians of the two theologies have criticized the other’s approach as theologically inadequate. However, Suh’s formulation of Minjung theology and Mouw’s Reformed political theology based on the neo-Calvinist worldview show significant affinities with each other in their understanding of transformation in Christ. Both Suh and Mouw show a broad understanding of liberation and redemption. They develop their theologies in an inclusive both/and way of thinking, and their holistic approach is contrasted with the exclusive either/or way of thinking in the Minjung theology of Byung-mu Ahn and the Reformed theology of David VanDrunen. The book concludes that redemption in Christ aims at an all-encompassing transformation that includes not only spiritual renewal but also liberation from social alienation, economic inequality, and political oppression.
Based on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork at Fairfax County, Virginia, and Daechi-dong, Seoul, Korea, Korean Kirogi Families explores the dynamics of emplaced transnational families through analyses of the categories of social capital, sense of place, sense of belonging, and mothering among so-called “Korean kirogi families.” A Korean kirogi (wild goose) family is a distinct kind of transnational migrant family that splits their household to educate the children in an English-speaking country temporarily. Using mixed research methods, including ethnographic fieldwork, in-depth interviews, and textual analyses of media representations and historical documents, this book examines kirogi families in a historical and transnational context. Much of the research focuses on mothers and children who live in McLean and Centreville of Fairfax School District, located in Virginia, just a few miles from Washington, DC. Young A. Jung argues that these educational transnational families construct distinct types of sense of belonging, including structural belonging, relational belonging, school district belonging, and narrative belonging. In the global migration era, when transnational migration continuously reshapes our communities, Korean Kirogi Families reveals how recent education migrants are changing the suburban landscape of America.
Join Jung Eun Sophia Park on her personal quest for God and her true self through the writings of Thomas Merton. Approaching Merton as an Asian immigrant feminist in the postcolonial era, Park's perspective is a unique one, and in this dance sometimes it is her and sometimes Merton who leads. Throughout, Eastern and Western spirituality are organically woven together in reflection on Merton's narratives and in the examination of late capitalism, poverty, beauty, and violence. These reflections are insightful, provocative, and illuminating, particularly with regard to his androcentric spirituality, especially as it relates to his relationships with women.
This book provides a comprehensive view of the quality of life of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds living in Australia. The book is unique and significant because the descriptions and arguments presented are based on the lived experience and hence provide deep insights into the complexity and dynamics of CALD older migrants. Key areas of exploration include social connectedness and inclusion, post-retirement economic activities, living arrangement and housing choice, practice of care, intergenerational exchange, and life satisfaction. A focus is placed on the diversity of ageing experience. Pathways of ageing are one of the key factors in investigating inter and intra-ethnic commonalities and disparities. The policy and research implications presented will appeal to policy makers, practitioners and researchers.
This volume considers what it is to be a women in the context of the Korean-American church. Drawing on participant observation, interviews, and a review of historical documents, Jun Ha Kim focuses on four major issues: the role of religious institutions within ethnic communities, the role of Christian churches as patriarchal institutions, issues of status inconsistency and role conflict in marginalized communities, and the relative importance of gender and race-ethnicity in shaping the identities of women of color.
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