The purpose of this study is to identify the identity of tenants of the redevelopment areas in the 1980s, focusing on 173 Sanggye-dong 5th district, which resisted forcible demolition, and how this identity influenced resistance.
The tenants of Sang...
The purpose of this study is to identify the identity of tenants of the redevelopment areas in the 1980s, focusing on 173 Sanggye-dong 5th district, which resisted forcible demolition, and how this identity influenced resistance.
The tenants of Sanggye-dong resisted forced demolition and formed a community identity beyond individuals. This study divides the identity of tenants into ‘urban poor community’ and ‘village community’ through the concept of collective identity. The tenants made a systematic and ongoing protest with clear understanding of the other tenants of the redevelopment areas as 'we' and coalition of house owners, construction company and government as 'they'. The tenants of Sanggye-dong clearly understood themselves as "us" as members of the village and tried to maintain the villages in other areas even after the demolition was completed.
The formation of community identity was a result of the combination of various factors characteristic of the time and place of Korea in the 1980s. The government implemented a total redevelopment policy in 1981 when Seoul was selected as the venue for the next Olympic Games. This has resulted in a large number of discontented tenants. In the 1980s Korea, radicalized college students and catholic activist spread interpretive frameworks to tenants to understand themselves as members of militant urban poor communities and altruistic village communities, respectively. These interpretive frameworks has been validated by the tenants' resistance to the dismissal crews and civil servants who often abused the tenants.
The collective identities of tenants sometimes cooperated and conflicted. The strong sense of solidarity of the villages formed as a member of the altruistic village community became a resource that continued to resist as a member of the militant urban poor community. However, the interpretive framework of the altruistic village community was spread to the tenants through the religious ritual where 'sacredness' was required, and 'forgiveness' was formed as the norm to be followed by the tenants. This led to the identity and tension of a militant urban poor community aimed at 'fighting'.