Taking Culture Seriously: Democratic Music and Its Transformative Potential in South Korea

Abstract

This article outlines my personal search for a working theory of democratic music in the context of South Korean folk drumming and dance (p'ungmul). Motivated by the call of Korean political theorists and folklor ist s of the late twentieth century for the identification and investigation of democratic elements within traditional culture , I attempt to locate such ideals in the musical structure and performance practices of an indigenous drumming tradition. Through an extensive review of the pertinent literature, I was able to identify five general principles of musical democracy that are consistent with established democratic theory. My analysis hopes to highlight the ways in which we can move beyond discussions of performative art in purely aesthetic terms, revealing the socially transformative potential of the artistic realm. Instrumental Music of the Peasants- The farmer's dance is Korea's most representative and democratic performing arts tradition. (Postcard from the Korean Folk Village) In order to effect a successful democratic consolidation in Korea then, it is imperative that the political and economic institutions are continuously reformed thereby weakening the authoritarian features of the traditional culture while strengthening the democratic ones. . . . When both institutions and culture change and begin to support each other, democratic consolidation will become a reality. (Hahm and Rhyu 1999:75)