Cultural memory landscape: Solidarity between different memories in the place-making practice in South Korea

Abstract

This study looks at how different memories promote solidarity and partnership in the place-making practices in South Korea. It focuses on how key actors and meanings foster solidarity among different memories and the cultural memory landscape by promoting dialogue and mutual understanding between different communities. Previous studies on memory and memory places have contributed to the understanding of the memory of a particular incident and the process of memory place-making, but the attention to knowledge mobility and shaping the cultural memory landscape has been insufficient. In recent years, the political memories of the May 18th democratic uprising, the April 3rd Jeju uprising, and the Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea have not only led to memory place-making for each case, but also to knowledge mobility and partnership, transforming political experiences into cultural narratives, symbols, and practices. This process has involved the reinterpretation and re-presentation of political memories in ways that reflect the values, beliefs, and identities that are universally embedded in those events. The knowledge mobility and solidarity among different memories were articulated in memory place-making, as placemaking shared the interaction of social practices, meaningful materialities, individual experiences, and collective imaginaries. The memory place-making in flow contributed to the culturalisation of political memories. It was driven by the need to create a collective memory that binds a group of people together. This can be especially important in societies that have experienced trauma, conflict, or political upheaval, as a shared cultural memory can provide a sense of continuity and stability. By shaping the way political events are remembered and understood, the culturalisation of political memories has influenced political discourse and shaped public opinion.