The status of home-brew liquor in Korea has changed many times through history. In traditional society, home-brew liquor was considered as food. However, during Japanese colonial period, it became a moonshine and home brewery was prohibited. Since the...
The status of home-brew liquor in Korea has changed many times through history. In traditional society, home-brew liquor was considered as food. However, during Japanese colonial period, it became a moonshine and home brewery was prohibited. Since them, home brewery in Korean tightly controlled by government. However, recently home-brewery draws people's and government's attention as a way of revival of Korean tradition. In this study, I focus on the changes that home-brew liquor has gone through in the course of modern history and try to figure out the social and cultural meanings of it. For this study, I have investigated several kinds of home-brew liquor and their manufacturers from March 2007 to September 2008.
The time when home-brew liquor was mostly prospered was the period of Chosun dynasty. There were two main reasons. One was that liquor was one of the required food for ceremonial ritual in those days when society and culture were based on Confucianism. And the other one was that liquor helped people and communities get together. However, home-brew liquor and its related-culture were put in danger under Japanese colonialism. Japan prohibited home-brew liquor and Western liquors started introduced to Korea. And even after the Independence from Japanese colonial government, home-brew liquor was still prohibited due to the food shortage at that time. Since 1980s, eventually home-brew liquor, which had been hidden and passed down, started mentioned as traditional liquor, not as moonshine. And these interests in traditional liquor led to designate home-brew liquor as one of Intangible Cultural Properties and the manufacturer as a faculty owner. These efforts to revive traditional liquors brought many changes and reestablished the status and meaning of the traditional liquor.
In this study, I arrange the sequence of changes in concept of tradition depending on the governmental policy change. After that I study the change in perception to liquor from an important food to favorite food.
Unlike modern society in which negative aspects of liquors have been largely focused, during the period of Choson dynasty, liquor was a food for rituals and guests. At that time, women's role was making liquor and men's role was consuming it. However, these days some men put efforts into brewing traditional liquors. The revitalization of traditional liquor gave it new meanings and enables it to become a cultural capital with its legitimacy and authenticity. As a result, traditional liquor manufacturers spontaneously have possessed power. Even though there has been a change in men's role from consuming liquor to manufacturing it, men are still the main consumers in rituals. In the past, man who consumed liquors had economical hegemony and in modern time, man who manufactures liquor has the hegemony. So in both Choson dynasty and modern time, men possess hegemony in their families. And also when it comes to liquor, even though there have been some changes in men and women roles, it is evident that men has held controls upon their families.