ABSTRACT
In theoretically elucidating South Korea's abrupt transition in citizenship politics, the author draws useful insights from the observations on late modern or late capitalist social situations offered by Ulrich Beck and Alaine Touraine. Under second modernity, Beck argues, many social institutions of early modernity - the state, political parties, class organizations, market economy, welfare system, schools, industrial enterprises, and families - abruptly become ineffective or dysfunctional. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers a historically nuanced citizenship perspective on one of the most distinctive characteristics of South Korean modernity, namely South Koreans' unequaled 'education zeal'. It analyzes the complex and dynamic relationship between political economy and citizenship politics in the context of rapid capitalist development and neoliberal restructuring. The book deals with women's 'lived experiences' of citizenship as a social status in the post-democratization era.
