Aims and Scope

The Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia (JDTREA) is the official English language journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences, and thus far, it is the only peer-reviewed, English language journal exclusively dedicated to research on Daesoon Thought and the contemporary relevance of East Asia Religions. Daesoon Thought refers to a grouping of native Korean religious concepts best characterized by the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence (Haewon Sangsaeng) and the Grateful Reciprocation of Favors for Mutual Beneficence (Boeun Sangsaeng), and the chief purveyor of Daesoon Thought is Daesoon Jinrihoe, a representative Korean religion the ideological origins of which can be traced back to Kang Jeungsan. Although there is a reasonable level of worldwide familiarity with the major religious traditions of East Asia, Daesoon Thought remains under-researched outside of Korea. As a remedy to this, the Daesoon Academy of Science (DAOS), aims to publish JDTREA twice a year. The editorial board of JDTREA consists of active scholars from over a dozen countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Australia, France, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, the UK, and the USA. JDTREA is published to promote global studies on Daesoon Thought and East Asia religion by encouraging wide-ranging research on these topics. The scope of JDTREA includes the following:

  • Interpretation and analysis of Daesoon Jinrihoe's religious phenomena in all fields of the humanities and social sciences
  • Comparative research on the above in relation to another religion, philosophy, ideology, etc.
  • Critical reviews of academic trends, mainly in the arts and humanities, that relate to Daesoon Thought and/or East Asian religions
  • New interpretations of and approaches to Daesoon Thought

The types of publications featured in JDTREA will include original articles, research notes, and book reviews. Other types of contributions are negotiable but subject to the approval of the editorial board. All unsolicited articles will be subject to peer review, and commissioned articles are reviewed by the Editorial Board.