ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines the trajectory of post-authoritarian popular contention in South Korea, and to find answers as to what made South Korean social movements contentious, disruptive, and powerful as they became increasingly institutionalized. It argues that the social movements in post-authoritarian South Korea represent an example of social movement institutionalization in that social movements became an indispensable fabric of the political process, but that the way in which social movements became institutionalized diverged significantly from the conventional approaches that emphasize a complementary relationship between social movements and institutionalized politics. The study of defiant institutionalization suggests that the answer may be found in social movement cohesion and autonomy as sources of political leverage. Differentiation of interest within the social movement sector went hand in hand with changes in the participation, tactics, and organization of social movements.
