W7 Compressed Modernity & Democracy Movement PDF

Week 7: Compressed Modernity & Democracy Movement 1 Compressed Modernity* *Kyung-Sup, C. (2016). Compressed modernity in South Korea: constitutive dimensions, manifesting units, and historical conditions. In Routledge handbook of Korean culture and society (pp. 31-47). Routledge....

Week 7: Compressed Modernity & Democracy Movement 1 Compressed Modernity* *Kyung-Sup, C. (2016). Compressed modernity in South Korea: constitutive dimensions, manifesting units, and historical conditions. In Routledge handbook of Korean culture and society (pp. 31-47). Routledge. 2 1. Compressed Modernity* ◎ Definition - A civilizational condition in which economic, political, social, and/or cultural changes occur in an extremely condensed manner in respect to both time and space, and in which the dynamic coexistence of mutually disparate historical and social elements leads to the construction and reconstruction of a highly complex and fluid social system 3 2. Five Dimensions of Compressed Modernity* 4 2. Five Dimensions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Dimension I: Time(Era) Condensation/Abridgement - South Koreans have abridged the duration taken for their transition from low-income agricultural economy to advanced industrial economy based on rapid economic development - Compressed growth of the economy, compressed modernization: achieved in merely over half a century whereas two or three centuries for Westerners - Not the sole outcome of voluntary efforts but resulted from asymmetrical international relations in politico-military power and cultural influence: American military occupation during the post-liberation period for overnight adoption of modern institutions in politics, economy, and education 5 2. Five Dimensions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Dimension II: Space(Place) Condensation/Abridgement - Regardless of geographical distances and differences, Korea was urbanized and industrialized imitating other countries - Korean modern cities created through space abridgement turned out alien spaces disengaged from the indigenous civilization of Korea - Voluntary space condensation: in the 1990s under the informatization and globalization, the abridgement or dismantlement of space by electronic communication mechanisms 6 2. Five Dimensions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Dimension III: Time(Era) Compression/Complication - Traditional, modern, and postmodern values and cultures coexist bringing about inter-civilizational compression among dissimilar time zones - Usually observed in ideology, culture, and other non-material domains having complex conditions and processes of change - South Korean confront with compression of various historical milestones in everyday lives and in their lifetime - Involving the phenomena of intense competition, collision, disjuncture, articulation, and compounding between modern elements (generated as a result of time (era) condensation/abridgement) and traditional elements (either left unattended or intentionally preserved or reinstated) 7 2. Five Dimensions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Dimension IV: Space(Place) Compression/Complication - Involving the phenomena of intense competition, collision, disjuncture, articulation, and compounding between foreign/multinational/global elements (generated as a result of space(place) condensation/abridgement) and indigenous elements - Diverse social elements generated from different regional contexts coexist and function within a same time-space - Urban bias sacrificing native agriculture, peasants, and rural society unjustly or irrationally 8 2. Five Dimensions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Dimension V: All-encompassing, dimension of compressed modernity - The social phenomena and cultural elements generated in the four dimensions of compressed modernity generate still more social phenomena and cultural elements - In fact, most social phenomena and cultural elements in Korea involve this dimension given the co-existence of past, present, Asia (Korea), and West 9 3. Conditions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Historical and Structural Conditions - Forced skewed insertion into modernity: Modernity was imposed onto Korea as same in Japan to facilitate its modernization as a capitalist empire, resulted a condensed and skewed experience of its neighbor's modern (imperial) institutions and practices - The Cold War as a modernization (Americanization) regime: In South Korea, American capitalist modernity was transplanted as a lump sum package, and its basic operation would be ensured with American military protection and economic aid - Civil war and post-war reconstruction: The post-Korean war reconstruction in South and North Korea intensified a hasty modernizations approach to national development as most of the indigenous values, interests, and resources had been critically damaged 10 3. Conditions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Historical and Structural Conditions - Statist order and catch-up development: The military-led state attempted to orchestrate an unprecedentedly rapid industrialization and its requisite social changes while preserving or reinforcing conservative cultural traditions and social orders, so it was an essentially skewed process, leaving many domains of society unattended, underdeveloped, protracted, or distorted - Modernization instead of social revolution: Their traditions having been oppressed by colonial forces, postcolonial peoples had a fundamental sentimental motivation to restore dignity to their past so many state heads tried to superficially or strategically reposition themselves as nationalist leaders and redefine (West-dependent) modernization as a nationalist project 11 3. Conditions of Compressed Modernity* ◎ Historical and Structural Conditions - Advantages and pitfalls of late development/dependent modernization: perceived by South Koreans and aggressively realized thanks to their American connections but the supposed local realities of backwardness remained - International political economy, sequential industrialization- modernization, and global economic restructuring: South Korea, as both Japan's next door and the West's strategic outpost, was a key beneficiary of the so-called "inter-national product cycles” but the breathtaking economic rise of China has made South Koreans worried about their "sandwiched” position 12 Democracy Movement** *Cho, J. E., & Chang, P. Y. (2016). The Socioeconomic Foundations of South Korea’s Democracy Movement. In Routledge Handbook of Korean Culture and Society (pp. 63-75). Routledge. 13  1. RHEE Syngman (이승만) Administration# ◎ First Republic of South Korea - Since 1948 until 1960 (for 12 years) - In 1952, first amendment to the direct election (Originally indirect election by constitution) - In 1954, second amendment to make an exclusion of the first president to prohibit third presidency (Originally 4-year presidency, only one time reappointment by constitution) # Setbyol Choi,. (2018). Korea's Generation Chronology - A Self-Portrait of Generational Experience and Cultural Conflict 14 in the Perspective of Cultural Sociology. Ewha Womans University Press. 문화사회학으로 바라본 한국의 세대 연대기. 2. The April Revolution (1960) ◎ April 19 Revolution (1960)=The April Revolution=4.19 Student Revolution - 3.15 Rigged Election in 1960: Buying votes, replacing ballot boxes - Triggered the April Revolution: Students protested against RHEE’s dictatorship and the voting scandal, and professors, citizens joined the protests after the government quelled the protest using lethal force and killed two hundred of them - By April 25, the police and military began disobeying orders to shoot: President Rhee fled to Hawaii - An important moment of Korean political history: Although Korea did not transition to democracy in 1960, the April Revolution became a seminal moment for subsequent social movements as it demonstrated to students and society at large the potential power of student mobilization 15 3. Park Chung-hee (박정희) Administration ◎ May 16 Military Coup (1961) - An army general Park Chung-hee (박정희) seized power by the May 16 coup in 1961 - Dictated for 18 years until 1979 by repeating constitutional amendments - Continuous demonstrations against dictatorship were violently suppressed 16 4. Socioeconomic Foundations of Democracy ◎ Remarkable Economic Growth - During Park’s rule, per capita growth national income (GNI) soared from $85 in 1961 to $1971 in 1979: achieved through effective implementation of an industrial planning policy by a strong “developmental state” - Export-oriented industrialization as its development strategy given underdeveloped domestic market and lack of capital - Labor-intensive light industries in 1960 exploiting the large supply of low-cost labor - Shifted to heavy chemical industries in the 1970s - President CHUN Doo-hwan succeeded PARK’s economic development strategy 17 4. Socioeconomic Foundations of Democracy ◎ Industrial Complexes (gongeop danji: 공업단지) - Specialized industrial complexes - Synergic effects among related industries, an increase in exports and employment opportunities, free exchange of technology - Factories in the industrial complexes were given benefits like low bank loans, exemptions from corporate income tax, discounts on transportation and utility costs - The expansion of industrial complexes contributed to the rapid economic growth that provided political legitimacy for the authoritarian regimes of PARK Chung-hee (박정희) and CHUN Doo-hwan (전두환) 18 4. Socioeconomic Foundations of Democracy ◎ Higher Education - The Expansion of education: Important strategy to foster an increasingly skilled labor force to support the rapid industrialization - During the authoritarian period, the intended role of education was to foster the basic attitude of compliance with a strong central government and prepare students to become the backbone of the industrial sector 19 5. Student Movement in PARK’s Presidency ◎ The Student Movement - 7th Constitution Amendments in 1972: Unconstitutional amendment under the martial law decree, went back from the direct election of president to the indirect and 6 year presidency without reappointment limit - In response, a protest movement began among students at the Seoul National, Korea, and Yonsei university - Between 1972 and 1975, President Park issued a series of extremely repressive decrees targeting students: But the mobilized students continued to protest - President Park was shot by the head of the Korean CIA in 1979 20 6. The Labor Movement ◎ Driving Force of Democratic Change - While the middle class on Western society is the main force of democratic change, in Korea, students, intellectuals, and workers are - The labor movement played a unique role in bring about democracy and expanding civil society - Christians in 1970s and students in 1980s enhanced the coalitional power of social movements 21 7. Gwangju (광주) Uprising in 1980 ◎ December 12th in 1979, Military Coup - After President PARK died, an army general CHUN Doo-hwan (전두환) and ROH Tae-woo (노태우) launched a military coup on November 11th in 1979 and declared martial law in 1980 - Triggered significantly large-scale democratic movement in many places in 1980s 22 7. 5.18 Gwangju (광주) Uprising in 1980 ◎ 5.18 Gwangju (광주) Uprising in 1980=5.18 Democracy Movement (5.18 광주민주화운동) - on May 18th 1980, about 2,000 protestors including university students and general population in Gwangju (광주) spreaded to other province - Gwangju Massacre: On May 27th, after nine days of heavy fighting and protesting, army troops suppressed in Gwangju - Death toll was closer to 1,000 or even 2,000 - New Nobel Prize in Literature winner, HAN Gang’s novel “Human Acts: A Novel” 23 8. June Democracy Movement ◎ June pro-democratic resistance movement in 1987=1987 June Democratic Uprising=6-wol Munju Hang jaeng (유월 민주항쟁) - Even as the student movement was constrained by the highly repressive policies, the potential for student mobilization continued to increase: persistence of underground networks - In May 1987, a student activist, PARK Jong-chul (박종철) found that he had been tortured to death: inflamed public sentiment and demonstrations against President CHUN: 30’s workers, religious leaders started to join the protest - 9th constitutional amendment in 1987: Changed to the 5 year single-term presidency, beginning of the 6 th Republic 24 9. Civil Administrations ◎ KIM Young-sam (김영삼) Administration (1993-1998) - Democratic activist ◎ KIM Dae-jung (김대중) Administration (1998-2003) - Democratic activist: PARK Chung-hee (박정희) kidnapped him in 1973 to fear of losing control after wining against by a slim majority in 1971 - Sunshine Policy: Met North Korea’s leader KIM Jong-il (김정일) in 2000 and announced June 15th North-South Joint Declaration to start South Korean industrial investment in Gaeseong of North Korea - Won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 25 10. Candlelight Revolution* ◎ President PARK Geun-hye (박근혜) - President PARK Chung-hee (박정희)’s daughter, elected in 2012 - First female president of Korea - Frustration over the misrule and authoritarianism of the conservative LEE Myoung-bak (이명박) and PARK Geun-hye governments increased - After a series of scandals involving her and her administration including PARK Geun-hye’s mishandling of the rescue of the Sewolho-ferry 세월호 in 2014 resulting the death of 304 people most significantly triggered Candlelight protests *Han, G. S. Calculated Nationalism in Contemporary South Korea. In Calculated Nationalism in Contemporary South Korea. Amsterdam University Press. 26 10. Candlelight Revolution* ◎ Candlelight Revolution - In 2016-2017: Massive campaign to impeach the president Park - One of the most extensive campaigns for democracy in modern South Korea: 32 % of the Korean population attended at least one of the weekly rallies, Millions more took part in online debates about the proposed impeachment - Led for the National Assembly to send articles of impeachment to the Constitutional Court and the Court upheld the impeachment request - Driven by a widespread desire for genuine political change: Revealed Koreans’ aspirations for society and a view of Korean nationalism from the “bottom-up” rather than the “top-down” 27 Group Paper and Presentation (1) ◎ Group Paper and Presentation Topic: Pick one Korean Movie and 3 Frameworks 1. Analyzing it using 3 frameworks learned in class suggested below 2. Comparing South Korea and Hong Kong based on the 3 frameworks your group picked Inequality and Familism Modernism Gender Issue Democracy Move Groupism Confucianism ment Religious Nationalism Authoritarianism Perspective 28 Group Paper and Presentation (2) ◎ Group Presentation: Group assignment announcement on Canvas - November 28th, 20 mins or less for each group - Every members of group should present ◎ Group Paper - The paper should be a maximum of 2,000 words (excluding the title page, references, and essential appendices), double- spaced - Submission on Canvas: December 5th 10:00 PM with the PPT file 29