Gender Conflicts in Contemporary Korean Buddhismâ€
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
In this paper, the author talks about Korean Buddhist nun’s experiences of gender discrimination. This paper complicates the scholarly and popular understandings of Korean nun’s social status and have the potential to make contribution to Buddhist studies and social scientific analysis of religion.
That said, I have three major concerns on the current draft. First, this paper lacks citations on relevant research. The reference list illustrates that the author only cites three studies in this manuscript. From my reading of this manuscript, multiple claims need to be supported by citations. For instance, the very first claim on the relatively high status of nuns in Buddhist communities in Korean need to be supported by at least a citation. In addition, on p.2, the author mentioned that there are two strands of research that focus on Korean women’s experiences in monastic communities. Neither of the two strands of research is supported by in-text citations. I also particularly highlighted the literature review sections (e.g., social and internal changes in the modern period) as lacking citations. That said, I understand that there may be disciplinary differences in terms of how researchers utilize in-text citations. Nevertheless, I believe that arguments that are not made by the author need to be supported by in-text and reference citations.
Second, I encourage the author to expand the scope of the literature that they review as this manuscript has potential to make contribution across different disciplines. The current manuscript primarily relies on research that directly speaks to the experience of women in Korean Buddhism. I believe that outside this narrow set of studies, there are social scientists (e.g., sociologists, anthropologist, and scholars in religious studies) who have studied women’s experiences in Buddhism or even religion more general. While these published studies may not necessarily directly speak to the experience of nuns in Korean Buddhist communities, reviewing these studies will enable the author to speak outside their empirical cases and make contribution to social scientific studies of gender and religion.
Third, related to the previous point, given the topic of this study, I encourage the author to further highlight their theoretical contribution. The current conclusion highlights the difficulties and discriminations that women experience in monastic communities in Korean. It also highlights how nuns and monks interact with Buddhist precepts. I wonder to what extent findings form this manuscript enable the author to make a broader and more theoretical contribution to the current studies on gender and religion, particular in relation to religious gender norms and monastic members as agent. Such a broader contribution may attract readers in different disciplines and subdisciplines.
In general, I believe that this paper has potential to contribute to our understanding of Buddhism and gender in the Korean context. That said, I would encourage the author to further expand upon their current contribution and make this manuscript informative to researchers and readers with different empirical, disciplinary, and theoretical focuses.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Point 1: First, this paper lacks citations on relevant research. The reference list illustrates that the author only cites three studies in this manuscript. From my reading of this manuscript, multiple claims need to be supported by citations. For instance, the very first claim on the relatively high status of nuns in Buddhist communities in Korean need to be supported by at least a citation. In addition, on p.2, the author mentioned that there are two strands of research that focus on Korean women’s experiences in monastic communities. Neither of the two strands of research is supported by in-text citations. I also particularly highlighted the literature review sections (e.g., social and internal changes in the modern period) as lacking citations. That said, I understand that there may be disciplinary differences in terms of how researchers utilize in-text citations. Nevertheless, I believe that arguments that are not made by the author need to be supported by in-text and reference citations.
Response 1: I thank reviewer 1 for their valuable comments. As they have rightfully pointed out, my initial manuscript was lacking in citations, so I have attempted to bolster my argument by adding more sources and relevant research on Korean bhiksunis throughout the article. Regarding the two strands of research that focus on Korean women’s experiences in monastic communities on p.2, there are indeed quite a few Korean sources on this matter, but in order to simplify the discussion and to make things more accessible and convenient for international readers, I have tried to provide references to my studies published in English.
Point 2: Second, I encourage the author to expand the scope of the literature that they review as this manuscript has potential to make contribution across different disciplines. The current manuscript primarily relies on research that directly speaks to the experience of women in Korean Buddhism. I believe that outside this narrow set of studies, there are social scientists (e.g., sociologists, anthropologist, and scholars in religious studies) who have studied women’s experiences in Buddhism or even religion more general. While these published studies may not necessarily directly speak to the experience of nuns in Korean Buddhist communities, reviewing these studies will enable the author to speak outside their empirical cases and make contribution to social scientific studies of gender and religion.
Response 2: Thank you for this suggestion. I have tried to keep things focused and not too extensive as other papers in this special issue cover a wide array of disciplines. However, I have also attempted to incorporate literature from other disciplines by referring to Ester Bianchi’s work. Although her work is primarily on China, I believed her research could also be relevant to gender issues in Korea and have referenced it in a footnote.
Point 3: related to the previous point, given the topic of this study, I encourage the author to further highlight their theoretical contribution. The current conclusion highlights the difficulties and discriminations that women experience in monastic communities in Korean. It also highlights how nuns and monks interact with Buddhist precepts. I wonder to what extent findings form this manuscript enable the author to make a broader and more theoretical contribution to the current studies on gender and religion, particular in relation to religious gender norms and monastic members as agent. Such a broader contribution may attract readers in different disciplines and subdisciplines.
Response 3: Similar to my previous response, I did not go too deep into the theoretical aspects of gender asymmetry as other papers in this issue cover them extensively. I have received word from the organizer of the conference this special issue is based on that their editorial will offer some explanation and insight into the theoretical contributions of this issue; hopefully, this will help clarify the broader implications of my article.
Reviewer 2 Report
This article explores the conflict experienced by Korean Buddhist nuns, bhikkhuni, in regards to discrimination based on gender. The author notes the lack of progress towards gender equality within Korean Buddhism, with reference made to current newspaper articles. A fuller discussion and analysis of the cultural, social and religious issues surrounding gender equality in Korean Buddhism would enhance this journal article. Further research is required in the following areas:
1. Discussion on how the Eight Garudhammas impacts gender equality in a Korean Confucian context, with reference to current scholarly debate (Garudhamma refers to the eight important rules for admitting the woman-folk into the Sangha, which a nun must observe throughout her whole life).
2. References need to be strengthened. A peer-reviewed journal article should make reference to at least 10 or more sources of current scholarly research.
3. The newspaper article is current but the author should offer an in-depth analysis, reflection or insights.
4. Insert a critical discussion with the aforementioned strengthened reference list, with footnotes to demonstrate a wide-reading of the issues considered to the reader.
With the above amendments, it will be a good article. I recommend revising the article.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Point 1: Discussion on how the Eight Garudhammas impacts gender equality in a Korean Confucian context, with reference to current scholarly debate (Garudhamma refers to the eight important rules for admitting the woman-folk into the Sangha, which a nun must observe throughout her whole life).
Response 1: I am very grateful to reviewer 2 for their thoughtful and helpful comments on my manuscript. In accordance with the first point raised, I have provided a definition of the Eight Garudhammas and their implications on gender inequality in Korean Buddhism, as well as provided some additional reference materials in footnote 12. Unfortunately, no scholarly research has been conducted so far regarding how the Eight Garudhammas are actually practiced or upheld in the Korean monastic community, something I hope to change through future research on this topic.
Point 2: References need to be strengthened. A peer-reviewed journal article should make reference to at least 10 or more sources of current scholarly research.
Response 2: Thank you for this suggestion. I have attempted to bolster my argument by adding more sources and relevant research on Korean bhiksunis throughout the article. I have also made the article more readable by having it copy edited by a native English speaker.
Point 3: The newspaper article is current but the author should offer an in-depth analysis, reflection or insights.
Response 3: The purpose of this paper was primarily to introduce this topic and raise awareness of ongoing gender issues in contemporary Korean Buddhism to international scholarship. I fully agree with the need for additional scholarly insight and/or analysis on this subject, and hope to further contribute to this discussion through subsequent research.
Point 4: Insert a critical discussion with the aforementioned strengthened reference list, with footnotes to demonstrate a wide-reading of the issues considered to the reader.
Response 4: I have attempted to strengthen my citations and reference more relevant sources to help readers better understand the issues discussed in the article. Please note that I did not go too deep into the theoretical aspects of gender asymmetry as other papers in this issue cover them extensively, and my main purpose was to outline contemporary gender issues in Korea and highlight the need for further scholarly examination on this topic.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
This version is greatly improved from the previous version. Although, from my perspective, I would love to see the author engaging more with the social scientific literature on social scientific analysis of gender and Buddhism, this small revision is optional.
Reviewer 2 Report
I am satisfied with revisions made by the author.
