The Politics of Scale: The Social and Political Construction of Geographical Scale in Korean Housing Politics

스케일의 정치: 한국 주택 정치에서의 지리적 스케일의 사회적.정치적 구성

  • Ryu, Yeon-Taek (Department of Geography Education, Chungbuk National University)
  • 류연택 (충북대학교 사범대학 지리교육과)
  • Published : 2007.12.31

Abstract

This paper investigates the social and political construction of geographical scale in conjunction with Korean housing politics. Recently, attention has been drawn to the issue of the social and political construction of geographical scale. Spatial scales have increasingly been regarded as socially constructed and politically contested rather than ontologically pregiven or fixed. The scale literature has paid attention to how different spatial scales can be used or articulated in social movements, with an emphasis on 'up-scaling' and 'scales of activism' rather than 'down-scaling' and 'scales of regulation.' Furthermore, the scale literature has focused on the aspect of empowerment. However, it is worthwhile to examine how scale-especially 'down-scaling' and 'scales of regulation'-can be used not only for marginalizing or excluding unprivileged social groups, but also for controlling the (re)production of space, including housing space. Under a regulatory regime, the Korean central government gained more control over the (re)production of housing space at geographical multi-scales by means of 'jumping scales,' specifically 'down-scaling.' The Korean central government has increasingly obtained the capacity to 'jump scales' by using not only multiscalar strategies for housing developments, but also taking advantage of various scales of institutional networking among the central and local governments, quasi-governmental institutions, and Chaebols, across the state. Traditionally, scale has been regarded as an analytical spatial unit or category. However, scale can be seen as means of inclusion(and exclusion) and legitimation. Choosing institutions to include or exclude cannot be separated from the choices and range of spatial scale, and is closely connected to 'scale spatiality of politics.' Facilitating different forms of 'scales of regulation,' the Korean central government included Chaebols and upper- and middle-income groups for the legitimization of housing projects, but excluded local-scale grassroots organizations and unprivileged social groups as decision-makers.

본 연구는 한국 주택정치에서의 '지리적 스케일의 사회적 정치적 구성(social and political construction of geographical scale)'을 분석하였다. 최근 미국 및 유럽에서 도시지리학을 포함한 인문지리학 분야에서 관심을 끌고 있는 주제 중 하나는 '지리적 스케일의 사회적 정치적 구성(또는 생산)'이다. 이에 관한 논의의 출발점은 바로 공간적 스케일은 존재론적으로 미리 주어지거나 고정되어 있다기 보다는 사회적으로 구성되며, 정치적인 경쟁의 대상물이 될 수 있다는 인식이다. 'tm케일의 정치(politics of scale)' 또는 '지리적(공간적) 스케일의 사회적 정치적 구성(생산)'에 관한 기존의 연구들은 사회운동(social movement)에서 서로 다른 공간적 스케일이 어떻게 활용되었으며 접목되었는지에 연구의 초점을 두었다. '스케일의 정치' 관련 논문들은 사회운동에서의 스케일의 역할을 '스케일 상승(up-scaling)' 또는 '정치적 행동의 스케일(scales of activism)' 위주로 논의하였다. 반면에 풀뿌리 시민사회운동에서의 스케일의 역할 연구라는 특성으로 인해 '스케일 하강(down-scaling)' 또는 '규제의 스케일(scales of regulation)' 논의는 미약하다. 한편, '스케일의 정치' 논의는 스케일의 이용을 통한 소수정치세력 및 사회소외층의 정치적 사회적 '임파워먼트(empowerment)' 과정에 연구의 초점을 두었다. 하지만, 기존의 '스케일의 정치'와 관련해서 어떻게 스케일이(특히 '스케일 하강'이) 무특권 사회집단을 소외하고 배제시키는지에 사용될 수 있는지, 그리고 공간의 생산 및 재생산을 조절할 수 있는지에 대한 연구는 미비하다. 한국 정부는 주택시장 관리 체제 및 제도 하에서 '스케일 도약(jumping scales)' 구체적으로 '스케일 하강'을 통해 여러 지리적 스케일에서의 주택 공간 생산 및 재생산에 대한 헤게모니를 가지게 되었다. 한국 정부는 주택 개발에 대한 다스케일적(multiscalar) 정책을 사용함과 동시에 중앙 정부, 지방 자치단체, 정부 산하 주택 관련 기관, 그리고 한국 다국적 기업(재벌) 간의 다양한 스케일에서의 제도적 네트워킹을 통해 '스케일 도약' 능력을 점점 더 획득하게 되었다. 전통적으로 지리적 스케일은 분석의 공간 단위 또는 범주로 인식되어 왔다. 하지만, 지리적 스케일은 사회적 내포(social inclusion), 사회적 배제(social exclusion), 정당화(legitimation)의 수단이 될 수 있다. 사회적으로 그리고 정치적으로 연대할 또는 배제할 기관 또는 조직을 선택하는 것 자체가 조직 네트워킹시의 공간적 스케일의 선택과 범위의 결정을 수반하며, 이는 '정치의 스케일 공간성(scale spatiality politics)'과 밀접히 연관되어 있다. 다양한 형태의 '규제의 스케일'을 전개해 온 한국 정부는 정부의 주택 개발 논리의 정당화를 위해 재벌, 고소득층, 중산층을 의사결정 과정에 포함시켰으나, 국지적 스케일에서의 서민 조직들과 사회소외계층을 의사결정 과정으로부터 제외시켰다.

Keywords

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