Prenatal Religion and Future-Making: Taegyo among Korean Immigrants in the United States

This study examines Taegyo, a traditional Korean prenatal practice, as a form of prenatal religion among Korean immigrants in the U.S. Taegyo emphasizes ethical conduct and spiritual cultivation during pregnancy and reflects Korea’s historically hybrid religious traditions, including Confucianism, Buddhist ethical teachings, Daoism, Shamanistic spirituality, and contemporary Christian devotional practices. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews with Korean immigrants in the U.S. who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth (target N = 30), this study analyzes how participants interpret pregnancy as a spiritually meaningful period during which religious values and moral environments may influence fetal development. Many participants describe Taegyo as a spiritual practice while also reporting social isolation during pregnancy due to the absence of extended family support networks. The paper argues that Taegyo functions as both prenatal religion and part of broader processes of reproductive religion through which immigrants reproduce cultural traditions, religious meanings, and intergenerational care practices in diaspora contexts.