Area of expertise

East Asian Studies – Korea

Academic Degree

PhD in Social Anthropology

Teaching

• Korean I- II (Degree in East Asian Studies)
• History of East Asian Religions (B.A. East Asian Studies)
• Thought and Religions in Korea through its Texts (Degree in East Asian Studies)
• Contemporary History of East Asia (B.A. East Asian Studies)
• Shamanism, Nature and Religious Practices (B.A. East Asian Studies)
• Popular Culture in Korea (East Asian Studies Degree)
• Spanish and Latin American Relations with Korea (B.A. East Asian Studies)
• Anthropology of Cultures and Religions (Master International Cooperation and Development Policies)

Employment relationship

Professor

Areas of interest

• Culture and Religions Korea
• Korean-East Asian women’s religious experience and practices
• Shamanism-Buddhism
• Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue
• Equality and Inclusion in Korea

His work is linked to the following lines of research in the study of culture and religions in East Asia and more particularly in Korea:

• Korean mythology, nationalism and identity creation.
• Religious practices of Korean women related to popular religiosity, especially in Korean shamanism (Muism), Buddhism and Christianity.
• Historical and contemporary development of Korean shamanism.
• Korean Buddhism.
• Development of Korean thought within Confucianism and Buddhism.
• Creation of identity from new social movements and urban popular culture in Korea.
• Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue.
• Study of the processes of Equality and Inclusion in Korean society from a historical, anthropological and gender perspective.

He has also translated works from Korean to Spanish related to culture and art in Korea.

In relation to the management activity, since 2010 he has been the director of the Incheon University Office at UMA and the Korea-Andalusia Tech Bridge. http://www.uma.es/oficinapuentecorea 

Selection of publications from the last 10 years

Author – Translator:

• Thought and Religion in East Asia (2005), Barcelona, Editorial UOC (ISBN 978-84-9788-131-9)
• Basic Compendium of Confucian Education in 16th Century Korea (Original title: 격몽요결) (2011), Madrid, Ed. Verbum (ISBN 978-84-7962-698-3).

• Namsan Mountain in Gyeongju. The statues of the Pure Land Buddhas of the Silla Kingdom. (2009) (Original title: 경주남산신라정토의불상 ) Published by Ed. Youlhwadan (ISBN 978-89-301-0344-2) and Ed. Berenice (ISBN 978-84-96756-07-6).

• 15 Codes of Korean Culture (2012) (Original title: 한국의문화코드열다섯가지) (2011) Buenos Aires, Under the Moon Editorial (ISBN 978-987-1803-28-6).

• A place I want to go – A place where I would like to stay. The encounter between architecture and history in ancient Korean temples (2014) Korea Literature Translation Institute (In process of publication).
• Doménech del Río, A.J. and Chica Morales P. (ed.), (2022),“ A Lost Bullet, Bilingual Edition”. UMA Editorial.

Book chapters:

• Domenech, A.J. (2022). “Role sharing in Confucian marriage according to a Korean work. Teachings for Women (1475)”. A. Calvo Maturana, C. Martínez Maza, Á. Ortega Cera, L. Prieto Borrego (Coord.). Sources for the study of women’s history. Granada: Ed. Comares, pp. 241-244.
• Doménech, A. J. (2022). “Shamanesses and officials: Poem of an Old Shamaness of Yi Gyubo (1168-1241)”. A. Calvo Maturana, C. Martínez Maza, Á. Ortega Cera, L. Prieto Borrego (Coord.). Sources for the study of women’s history. Granada: Ed. Comares, pp. 159-162.

• Domenech del Rio, A.J. and Kang, E.K. (2022) “Gender in Korean Shamanic Rituals.” Jung, I.S. (Ed.), Asian Community and Europe, Pisa: Pacini Editore, pp. 53-72.

• “Korean Religious Beliefs and Practices Illustrated by Films” (2015), in Bruno, Antonetta L. (ed.) Korea: K-pop multimediale, Aracne editrice, Ariccia (RM).

• “Shamanism and Korean Shamans: Identities under Construction” (2014), in Bernal Zamudio, Hernando and Sierra, Carlos Hugo (Eds.) Shamanism in the World Today, Madrid, Plaza and Vades, pp. 91-108.

• “Spirits, Ghosts and other divinities in the world of Korean women” (2010) in Robles Ávila, Sara (Coord.) Fantastic Cinema 100% Asia, Malaga, University of Malaga, pp. 183-203 (ISBN 978-84-7785-887-4).

• ”Family and Women in Korea: Modernity and Transformation” (2010), in Mera, Carolina and Nessim, Jessica (Compilers), Challenges of Contemporaneity: Korea-Latin America, Buenos Aires: Antropofagia, pp. 173-185 (ISBN 978-987-1238-64-4).

• “Role of historiography in the construction of Korean identity” (2010), in Ojeda, A. and Hidalgo, A. (Coord.), Current Studies on Korea, Granada, Entorno Grafico, pp. 13-29 (ISBN 978-84-613-8630-7) http://www.uclm.es/area/fae/ceicws/pdfs/libro7.pdf

• “KIA in Nuevo León: Koreanization and social responsibility” (2019), University of La Plata, Argentina.

• “The intercultural dimension in academic mobility between Spain and Korea: implications for Korean studies in Ibero-America” (2019), Inter-American Open University, Argentina.

• “From We (우리) to the new Korean “tribes”. A study on the changes of community-group ideas and practices in today’s Korean society” (2017), in León-Maríquez, J.L. (Coord.) Korea, yesterday and today. Latinoamerican contributions, Autonomous Metropolitan University, Mexico City.

Articles:

• Doménech del Río, A. J., Martín-Casares, A. and Kang E.K. (2023). Korea, Its People and Customs as Seen by the World Renown Novelist Vicente Blasco Ibañez (1923) / Review Article. Seoul Journal of Korean Studies, 36(1), 333-352.
• “Behind the Vestiges of Illusion and Reality” (2014) in LIST. Books from Korea, Vol. 25 Fall 2014, Korea Literature Translation Institute, pp. 60-61. ISSN 2005-2790.

• “ Korean Mask Theater” (2014) in La Ratonera. Asturian Theater Magazine, Nº 39. June 2014 Ed. Oris Teatro, ISSN 1578-2514, pp. 135-145.

• “The cross-cultural bridge between Korea and Spanish-speaking countries” (2014) in LIST. Books from Korea, Vol. 23 Spring 2014, Korea Literature Translation Institute, pp. 78-79. ISSN 2005-2790.

• “The Dream of Interfaith Dialogue in the Work of Kim Manjung, Kuunmong” (2013) (Original in Korean. ‘구운몽 ’에 나타난 종교 간 대화의 꿈 ) Mungwheongwa Haeseok, vol. 64, ed. Thaehaksa, pp. 129-138, ISSN 1739-2810.

• “Gut, Korean Shaman Ritual” (2011) in LIST. Books from Korea, Vol. 11, Korea Literature Translation Institute, pp. 48-51. ISSN 2005-2790.

• “Women in Korean Buddhism” (2010) in Sierra, Carlos (Ed.), in Living in the Terra Incognita: Experiences, Perspectives, Thoughts on the Far East, La Ortiga. Quarterly Journal of Art, Literature and Thought, vol. 102-104, Ed. Límite, Santander, pp. 73-84 (ISBN 978-84-88948-56-4).

• “Shamans and Confucian officials: Religion and social recognition in Korea” (2020). In ‘Ilu. Journal of the Science of Religions. ISSN: 1135-4712 / ISSN-e: 1988-3269.

• “Achieving Professional Credentials: South Korean Archaeology and University Degrees (1945-1979)” (2017) in Seoul Journal of Korean Studies 30, no.1 June 2017, Kyunjanggak Institute for Korean Studies, pp.71-96.

He has received The Hwangwan Order of Culture Merit from the government of the Republic of Korea in recognition of his contribution to promoting the Korean language and literature in Spain and Latin America (2017).

5th LTI Korea Outstanding Service Award (2017)