The material culture of Korean social movements

Abstract

Through interviews with Korean political activists, this research explores the material culture of Korean social movements, with a particular focus on artifacts of the police and protesters from the 1980s to the 2000s. First, the article analyses the symbolic meaning of artifacts and their sensory–emotional impact on protesters. Second, it explores the relationship between artifacts and protest culture, looking at how artifacts concern the gendered performance and hierarchical culture of protesters. Finally, the author examines the correlation between artifacts and protest space in terms of how the emergence of artifacts involves the availability and mobility of protest space. Through artifacts, protesters’ emotions are less spiritual than sensory or corporeal. Hierarchical and gendered aspects of protest culture depend on the types of protest artifacts and their use in protest performances. The use of artifacts in protest performances is restricted by the characteristics of protest space.