우리 대학 데이비드 윌리엄 김(DAVID WILLIAM KIM) (교양대학) 교수가 지난 몇년간 Principal Investigator (PI) 로써 전세계 9개국 (UK, Germany, USA, Italy, France, Japan, Czech Republic, Australia, and Korea)  12명의 학자들을 이끌며  국제프로젝트 (New Religious Movements in Modern Asian History: Socio-Cultural Alternatives)를 진행해 온 연구 결과가 동일 분야 학자들로부터 그 우수성을 인정받았다. 이는 최근에 영국 런던 소재의 유명한 출판사 (Lexington, London) 에 출판됐다. 아래는 연구의 내용에 관한 원문이다.

 

Project: New Religious Movements in Modern Asian History:
Socio-Cultural Alternatives,

Published by Lexington of Bowman & Littlefield, London, United Kingdom

Asso. Prof. David William Kim
College of General Education, Kookmin University

 

The religious landscape of Asia is usually perceived as holding multi-faith perspectives. The traditional religions of ethnic groups not only prospered during ancient and medieval times but also played a significant role within each society which sustains unique cultures as part of the regional history of humanity. Many political institutions were also established based on those religious creeds. However, religious domination was challenged by the wave of colonialism in the modern period of Asian history. When the global boom of European

imperialism reached the Asian continent, local communities experienced confusion and transformation. The traditional ways of education, medicine, and thought conflicted with western social principles. For European colonists, this was an act of global pioneership, but the introduction of new ideas and commercial trade brought threats and uncertainty to indigenous people.

 

The change of the Asian political landscape challenged religious beliefs in the modern period. Social insecurity became the main concern for the followers of traditional religions. When people blamed these problems on the powerlessness of their old faiths, they sought teachers or founders of new religions. Many new religious movements (NRMs), then, emerged to satisfy the spiritual needs of local people in overcoming the hardships of these transitions. Asso. Prof. David William Kim, as the Principal Investigator (PI) of an International project, analyzed the socio-cultural phenomena of Modern Asian societies, in cooperation with 12 global scholars, such as Prof. Eileen barker (London School of Economics, UK), Dr. Lauren Dover (University of Bonn, Germany), Dr. Catharine Dada (Loyola Marymount University, USA), Dr. Fabio Scialpi (Sapienza Universita di Roma, Italy), Prof.
Lionel Obadia (University of Lyon, France), Dr. Christopher Hartney (University of Sydney, Australia), Dr. Nikolas Broy (Leipzig University, Germany), Emma Leverton (University of Leeds, UK), Prof. Petra Tlčimuková (University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic), Prof. Jiro Sawai (Tenri University, Japan) and Dr. Leonardo Sacco (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy).

 

This research comprehensively presents Asian NRMs to identify religious, ethical, and spiritual groups, communities, and practices of relatively modern origins. While they are often syncretic or creative, the range of NRMs includes indigenous, shamanistic, Islamic, Sikh-related, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Shinto, moral and ethical, and political NRMs. Each nation of modern Asia experienced new religious movements via various cultural backgrounds. This project explores some particular cases from West, South, Southeast, and East Asia in regards to the aspects of origin, identity, transnational activity, the figure of text, hybrid conditions, religionised politics, geopolitical exchange, and millennialism.

 

The chapters provide evidence that the emergence of Asian NRMs was predominantly the result of anti-colonial ideology from local religious groups or individuals. When traditional religions were powerless to maintain their cultural heritage, the leadership of NRMs adduced alternative principles. The new teachings of each NRM in some way attracted the local people enough for them to change their beliefs. Under colonialist rule, West and South Asian NRMs strongly promoted nativist movements (including the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat) rather than hosting many foreign NRMs in their land. Building on this, the regional movements of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Radhasoami, and the New Kadampa Tradition are seen as cross-ethnical. The Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển reflects the syncretic phenomenon of a Vietnamese NRM in order to offer a new harmonious teaching appropriate for the cross-cultural history of China, France, and Vietnam. In the cases of China and Taiwan, NRMs were mainly founded in China but prospered in Taiwan and Korea in the late 20th century. The globalisation of Japanese NRMs is demonstrated through the socio-political influence of Sôka Gakkai International, Tenrikyō, and Aum Shinrikyō. Thus, the result of the research argues that the Asian new religious movements were very ardent and progressive in transmiting their new ideologies. The varied viewpoints attest to the consistent development of Asian NRMs from domestic and international dimensions by replacing old, traditional religions.

 

This new research in Asian History and Sociology that was a pioneering work, has been given high stand evaluations by global experts of the field, and the result of the outcome has been recently published ($110.00) by a UK publisher (Lexington of Bowman & Littlefield) in London:
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793634023/New-Religious-Movements-in-Modern-Asian-History-Socio-Cultural-Alternatives