근현대 생활문화 조사와 연구의 방향 -새로운 직종의 등장과 관련하여-

Abstract

Folklore research on modern and contemporary life culture aims to establish a cultural history of Koreans based on the life of common people since the modern era. However, there is an extensive and varied range of research subjects for the studies on modern and contemporary life culture. Therefore, this article proposes a life culture research for people engaged in the occupations that emerged after the modern period. Four types of subjects are presented for the research of modern and contemporary life culture: first, the lives of the people who created goods which did not exist in premodern society; second, the lives of the people who worked in new ways by introducing new tools, machines, and equipment; third, the lives of the people who made, sold, or repaired new media, tools, or goods; fourth, the lives of the people who communicated through new systems and modern conveniences. Specifically, occupations that are closer to understanding the lives of ordinary people should be selected as subjects of priority research. In this study, it was suggested that the research process should focus on the ways in which people work and their forms, and to grasp their life culture. That is because, in folklore, it is important to consider "the experience and perception of the lives of the ordinary people" who rely on physical labor. Works focusing on the methods and forms of labor in new occupations, including the investigations on food, clothing and shelter, social relations, rituals, and leisure, would have significant folkloristic and historical implications. In the process of analyzing data, it is necessary to understand how the traditional culture encounters modern culture or contemporary culture, and how the traditional culture is sustained and transformed in relation to one another, in addition to this, how modern culture or contemporary culture is settled. In other words, it is important to look for the logic of traditional-modern-contemporary cultural connections and change, while capturing the discontinuity, continuity, and structural changes in traditional culture. On the other hand, it is necessary to pay attention not only to modern and contemporary culture in terms of cultural change, but also to what cultural characteristics will be revealed in the process of introducing and accepting modern and contemporary culture in Korean society; in the world system, cultural diversity is an important value to be considered.