|
This essay analyzes the greenbelt controversy in South Korea, triggered during thegreenbelt revision process in 1999. Drawing on Lefebvre&rsquos theory of the productionof space, it examines how Korean greenbelts were produced both as abstractand social spaces, and how they were appropriated by different groups involvedin the controversy. The case study shows that the contestations over greenbeltswere not only material but also symbolic and discursive processes where differentimaginations of, as well as interests in, land and nature competed. Deconstructingthe diverse discourses of greenbelts and highlighting their complexity, this essaychallenges the dichotomy implicit in new social movement theories, which tends toassume defensiveness as the basic nature of progressive collective actions againstcolonizing efforts by globally operating forces. Instead, it decouples defensivenessand progressive politics, and suggests that local contexts shape diverse paths ofcollective actions. |
