On Tuesday, 10 November 2020, I gave a lecture to the Royal Asiatic Society - Korea Branch, in Seoul. The lecture occurred via Zoom and was recorded. Below is how the lecture was advertised, and below that is the YouTube link to watch the recording online.
Movement Characteristics of Korean Traditional Dance and Martial Arts
In this lecture, Dr. Sanko Lewis reveals several key characteristics that give Korean traditional dance and martial arts their particular “Korean flavor.” Through ethnographic research, Dr. Lewis identifies similar kinetic principles employed in the traditional Korean movement disciplines and discuss their cultural origins and technical functions. He also points out how attempts to appeal to a younger audience may cause a martial art to lose its traditional identity; for example, taekwondo’s inclusion of K-pop music and urban dance is eroding those characteristics that taekwondo shared with traditional Korean disciplines such as traditional dance. After this lecture, you will be able to identify the movement characteristics of Korean traditional dance and martial arts, which will enable you to recognize and have a better appreciation for the kinetic aspect of Korea’s intangible heritage.
On Friday, 6 November, I took part in Youngsan University's 2nd International Taekwondo Conference, co-hosted by the International Academic Conference of Taekwondo, in Busan, South Korea. Twelve presenters from around world took part, representing Korea, Germany, South Africa, Canada, Poland, the UK, and the USA. While most presenters participated via Zoom, we were about five presenters that could present in person here in Korea.
Apparently the Zoom-session was recorded, so I'm certain the conference as a whole will become available online eventually. However, I decided that since I have the slides and script ready, I will personally record my presentation as well, as there were several people that have asked me for it already. I uploaded it on YouTube, so you can watch it here. The abstract for my paper is below. [See the bottom of this post for an update.]
https://youtu.be/2O5w4ZCbPiI
Abstract:
A
Lacanian Framework for Taekwondo Practice
Sanko
Lewis, PhD
Martial arts act as a container for divergent
phenomena, ranging from cultural and sometimes even esoteric aspects on the one
end to violent combat on the other extreme. It can be difficult to understand
how such different parts of a martial art may fit together into a coherent
whole. This is particularly true for taekwondo that claims to be both a means
to self-development, a sport, and a killing art. French psychoanalyst Jacque
Lacan proposed a Three Orders paradigm to systemize the psychoanalysis into
three orders: Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real. The Imaginary refers to how we
imagine the Self and the Other to be. On the other hand, the Real is actual
reality unfiltered by interpretation. The Symbolic is the systems (culture,
society, etc.) which mediates between our image of reality (Imaginary) and
reality as such (Real). Lacan’s Three Orders may function as a useful paradigm
to discuss different aspects of taekwondo. Within the martial arts context, the
Imaginary is strongly affected by myth and media from the origin myths of the
martial art, to Hollywood and Asian films, to commercialized combat sports; as
well as by the practitioner’s exaggerated image of his or her instructors,
masters, and grandmasters. The Real, however, is the combative encounter as a
true violent act. The Symbolic represents the codified pedagogy with its
rituals and curriculum that ought to move the practitioner from the Imaginary
towards preparedness for the Real.
