A Topic Modeling Analysis of Trends in Research on Korean Buddhism in Papers Published in Academic Journals (2008-2022)

This research analyzes academic papers published on Korean Buddhism over the past 15 years (2008-2022). Topic modeling was used to identify trends in research on Korean Buddhism and analyze changes over time. The abstracts of 483 papers related to Korean Buddhism were organized and analyzed through a big-data approach, focusing on the Journal of Buddhist Culture Research Institute, the Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies, and the Journal of the Korean Association for Buddhist Studies, which are representative academic journals in Korea. The following nine topics were extracted through topic modeling based on latent Dirichlet allocation: 1) socialization and popularization of Buddhism, 2) Buddhist practice and religious tradition, 3) Buddhist research and methodology, 4) Wonhyo and Korean Buddhist philosophy, 5) history of Seon and modern Seon masters, 6) Korean Buddhism in East Asia, 7) Buddhist thought in Silla and Goryeo, 8) social welfare and Buddhist practice, and 9) the development of Buddhist orders and sects. These topics encompass the major fields and topics of Korean Buddhist studies since 200. The number of papers on Buddhist research and methodology and on the socialization and popularization of Buddhism increased rapidly as special commemorative conferences were held. In contrast, research on the social role and popularization of Buddhism, as exemplified by the topic of social welfare and Buddhist practice, appears to be decreasing since 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic played a dominant role in social trends. This paper describes trends in academic research in Korean Buddhism, and it is hoped that the findings will promote shared innovation and the sustainable exploration of perspectives in the future.