‘새로운’ 미래의 시추(試錐) ―미국의 BLM 운동과 공공 기념물 철거 논쟁 = An Exploration for ‘New’ Future: The BLM Movement and the Controversy over the Public Monuments in the United States

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article explores social consequences of the BLM movement in the United States through the lens of public art. As the BLM unfolded over the summer, protesters demanded that public- mostly Confederate - monuments be removed, whose symbolic capacity has in large part undergirded the ideology of American white supremacy. I first examine why the (first) “Reconstruction” failed and how it led to the establishment of the racist political order called “Jim Crow” in the South.
The Southern politics derived from the order in turn required a set of ideological apparatuses, core of which is the Confederate monuments. Which thus means that these monuments would be a critical venue where a series of struggles (and alternative imaginations) occur against racism. The development and changes of Monument Avenue located in Richmond, Virginia, as a microcosm of the socio-political system, are discussed to substantiate the argument.
Another remarkable effect the BLM produced is that it again brought our attention to an essential fact that the United States as a nation was founded with racism. This reckoning allowed one to reflect it is not just the Confederate figures but American historical leaders in general who matter in contemplating what new monuments should look like. The Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C., consisted of a statue of Abraham Lincoln and that of a black freeman, is employed to explain why the current Memorial has come under fire and what alternatives are being suggested for representing a more equal and diverse America.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본 논문은 공공예술의 관점에서 Black Lives Matter (BLM) 운동의 미국사회에 미친 영향을 검토한다. 올해 여름 촉발된 BLM 시위의 핵심요구 중 하나는 미국의 공공 기념물, 특히 미국의 백인우월주의를 떠받치는 상상계인 남부연합 기념물의 철거였다. 이 글은 먼저 기념물 건립의 역사적 배경으로서 내전 이후 남부에서 왜 (1차) 재건이 실패했는지 살펴본다. 달리 말한다면, 이는 “짐 크로우”로 불리는 인종주의적 정치질서가 이 지역에 확립되는 과정이라 할 수 있다.
남부연합 기념물은 이렇게 구축된 남부정치를 지속시키는 핵심적인 이데올로기적 장치 가운데 하나였다. 그렇게 본다면, 기념물은 인종주의에 대한 투쟁과 대안적 상상들이 발생하는 중요한 장소다. 리치먼드 시에 위치한 마뉴먼트 애버뉴의 발전과 변화상은 그러한 정치사회적 체계를 탐색하는 데 탁월한 사례라 할 수 있다.
BLM 운동이 산출한 또 다른 효과는 미국이 인종주의적 토대 위에 만들어진 국가라는 사실을 시민들에게 다시금 환기시켰다는 데 있다. 이러한 각성은 새로운 기념물을 숙고할 때 단지 남부연합 인물들만이 아니라 미국의 역사적 지도자 모두가 비판의 대상이 되어야 한다는 성찰로 이어졌다. 워싱턴 D.C.의 해방 기념비를 둘러싼 최근의 논쟁은 더 평등하고 다양한 미국을 표상할 수 있는 대안들을 고민하고 발전시키는 데 긴요한 준거라 할 수 있다.

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