Commons Perspectives in South Korea

Since its founding in 2011, the Research Center on the Commons and Sustainable Society has been at the forefront of Commons Research in South Korea. This book brings together the discoveries and insights the Center has produced in its first decade, as a contribution to international commons research and to the understanding of the commons in South Korea particularly. Divided into five main parts, the book charts the course of commons research in South Korea. Part I surveys the historical background to commons thinking through the course of its foundation as a dictator-led developmental state through to its current democratic and neoliberal status quo. Following on from this, Part II looks at how diverse commons perspectives have taken root during this period. Part III then analyses the various specific fields through which commons research in Korea has grown. After this, Part IV presents the fruits of this commons research-the alternative policies and social actions that have been proposed for Korean society. Lastly, Part V addresses the remaining challenges which ongoing commons research in Korea is seeking to address. An insightful resource for scholars of both Korean political economy and commons studies more broadly.

Hyun Choe is a professor at the Department of Sociology and the director of the Research Center on the Commons and Sustainable Society, Jeju National University. Ja-Kyung Kim is a research professor at the Research Center on the Commons and Sustainable Society, Jeju National University. Hun-Gyo Jang is a former research professor at the Research Center on the Commons and Sustainable Society, Jeju National University, and currently teaches sociology at the Catholic University of Korea. Yea-Yl Yoon is a research professor at the Research Center on the Commons and Sustainable Society, Jeju National University. Suh-Hyun Park is a research professor at the Research Center on the Commons and Sustainable Society, Jeju National University.

1. Progression of contemporary Korean history, dissolution of the commons, and the rise of commons thinking 2. The value of common resources theory: Beyond developmentalism and neoliberalism 3. The crisis of social reproduction in Korean society and Commons thinking 4. Sunureum as traditional commoning in Jeju: Reinterpretation of Jeju's livestock culture 5. Commons, the Golden Rule, and sea fields around Jeju 6. A perspective on the rise of the commons movements in South Korea 7. Decision-making structure on village commons and Common Management: The case of Haengwon-ri, Jeju 8. Formation and Deprivation of the Commons: Case of the Gyeonguiseon Commons and its implications 9. Knowledge commons movement in the humanities and social sciences in South Korea: A case study of the Knowledge Commoning Association in South Korea 10. Energy commons for a transition Strategy 11. A study on introducing a youth dividend to Jeju Island: Measures to finance a citizens' dividend program from commons 12. The commons: Legal rights and institutions to protect our common wealth 13. Commons research in Korea in the 21st century: Progress and tasks 14. Two dimensions and politics of the commons