• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

This paper explores the concept of otherness through the lens of Dokkaebi, a figure in Korean folklore. Dokkaebi serves as a monster that is both familiar and distant-a 'familiar trap' or 'well-known monster'-reflecting its nature as a marginal being. Though far from divine, Dokkaebi is also not human, existing in a liminal space that allows it to wander among us even today. Outsiders, gods, and monsters often reveal the cracks within the human psyche, illustrating our divisions between consciousness and the unconscious, the familiar and the unfamiliar, and the same and the different. Outsiders and monsters emerge from our tendency to other various entities. This paper discusses how Dokkaebi embodies the characteristics of a 'subjectivized other,' a 'dual other,' and an 'other that generates a double self. As a 'subjectivized other,' Dokkaebi transcends the narrative of a monster othered by humanity, revealing the relationship between the subject and the 'internalized other.' As a 'dual other,' Dokkaebi mimics the ways in which men other women, bringing this dynamic vividly to life within the tales. Lastly, functioning as an 'other that generates a double self,' Dokkaebi prompts us to consider how we treat the other within ourselves and the dangers posed by that inner other.