Democracy and Political Subjectivization : Women's Movements in South Korea Since 2016 = 민주주의와 정치적 주체화: 2016년 이후 대한민국의 여성운동을 중심으로

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

South Korea has seen a successful consolidation of democracy ever since its democratization in the late 1980s. However, the impact of democracy in terms of equality has been skewed, especially lacking in the field of women’s rights and gender equality. This thesis focuses on the two prominent events in the recent years that have shifted the direction of gender discourse in the Korean politics—the Gangnam Station Femicide case of 2016 and the Me Too movement of 2018—reinterpreting their importance through the political philosophy of Jacques Rancière. The reading of recent events as a process of political subjectivization of women allows interpreting the current conflicts in Korea not as a threat but an opportunity for greater equality and democracy. However, the prospect is not all optimistic as the unfolding of women’s subjectivization severely relies on the mechanisms of consensus democracy as a way of resolving the wrong.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. Introduction 1
• II. Literature Review 7
• 1. The (Contested) Concepts of Democracy 7
• 2. Democratization and Democratic Crisis 10
• 3. Democracy and Women’s Rights 13
• III. Political Philosophy of Rancière and Subjectivization of the People – Research Design 17
• IV. Historical Trajectory of Democratic Development and Women’s Movements in Korea 24
• 1. Democratization in Korea 24
• 2. Women’s Movements in Korea 27
• V. Political Subjectivization of Korean Women 32
• 1. Beginning – The Gangnam Station Femicide Case 2016 33
• 2. Continuation – Rise of Me Too Movement 2018 41
• VI. Democratic Opening in Korean Politics – An Analysis 50
• 1. Social and Political Environment of Korea 50
• 2. Impact, Implications, and Limitations 52
• VII. Conclusion 54
• References 57