Seeking Mago, the Great Goddess: A mytho-historic-thealogical reconstruction of Magoism, an archaically originated gynocentric tradition of East Asia (Korea, China, Japan)

This study endeavors to contribute to feminist studies in religion by theorizing the hitherto largely unexplored topos of Mago, the Great Goddess, from an East Asian feminist perspective. In introducing and interpreting the corpus of Mago abounding in variant sources including the newly rediscovered texts from Korea, the Budoji (Epic of the Emblematic City) and the Handan Gogi (Archaic Chronicles of Han and Dan), historical and religious texts, mythic tales, folktales, toponyms, and paintings from Korea, China, and Japan, I have rediscovered the "forgotten" tradition of Mago and named it Magoism.; By defining "Magoism" as an archaically (read pre-patriarchally) originated gynocentric tradition of East Asia, which derives from the veneration of Mago as progenitor, creator, and sovereign, I propose the hypothesis that Mago and Magoist women held religious and political authority in pre-patriarchal (read pre-Chinese) and proto-patriarchal history and culture of East Asia.; Methodologically, I have conjured an East Asian feminist mytho-historic-thealogy of Magoism. The Magoist mytho-historic-thealogy connotes a thealogy that is primarily illumined by the specific features of Magoist mythology, which necessarily exposes the pre- and proto-history of East Asian peoples. This study's reconstruction of Magoism necessarily interweaves trans-disciplinary threads from mythology, history, and thealogy and discloses the usurpation against Magoism by patriarchal polities and religions in East Asia. By engaging in current discussions of Goddess feminist studies, this study restores the truncated and distorted gynocentric mythology, history, and thealogy of Magoism.; While ancient Magoism, primarily attested by Koreans until the end of the 16th century, represents the supra-nationalist gynocentric culture in East Asia of the past, this study's reconstruction of Magoism aims at restoring East Asian and Asian American female agency, which has been suppressed and underrepresented within the androcentric and Euro-American-centred discourse. By revivifying ancient Magoism from a contemporary Korean feminist perspective, I suggest Magoism as an alternative feminist consciousness and social vision.