Journal of the Korean Geographical Society (대한지리학회지)

The Korean Geographical Society (대한지리학회)
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Evaluating Geopolitical Impact through the Concept of Social Performance: The Case of a Mormon General Conference

사회적 수행의 개념을 통한 지정학적 영향의 평가 -몰몬교 연차대회를 사례로-

  • Received : 2010.08.31
  • Accepted : 2010.10.10
  • Published : 2010.10.31
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Abstract

Critical scholarship has shown itself much more adept at identifying and analyzing the content of religious geopolitics than its impacts or effects. This article suggests ways in which the concept of social performance can be used to more carefully consider the effects of religious geopolitics. Judith Butler's identity-oriented notion of performativity is usually geographers' point of entry into issues of performance. But its strong poststructuralist distrust of agency limits its power among those who question poststructuralism's grounding beliefs. This article illustrates the added utility of other theories of performance-particularly the recent pragmatic, dramaturgical, and non-poststructuralist theorization of social performance by the cultural sociologist Jeffrey Alexander-in evaluating the impact of religious geopolitical action. It does so through the case of a recent, particularly geopolitically laden Mormon General Conference. It concludes, through Butler and Alexander, that this General Conference likely accomplished significant geopolitical work. But it also, mainly through Alexander, argues that this work likely had limited capacity to motivate new or additional geopolitical action. Its power was more to reinforce than transform.

종교 지정학은 그 영향이나 효과 보다는 내용을 확인하고 분석하는데 초점을 두고 있다고 비판을 받는다. 본 논문은 종교 지정학의 영향을 신중하게 고려하기 위하여 사회적 수행의 개념을 사용하는 측면들을 제안한다. Judith Butler의 정체성 지향적인 수행성의 개념은 주로 지리학자들이 수행의 문제에 접근하기 위한 시작점이 된다. 그러나 정체성 지향적인 수행성의 개념은 인간의 자율적인 행위 수행(agency)을 매우 불신함으로써 후기구조주의의 기본적인 믿음에 대한 의문을 제시하는 연구자들에게 그 개념의 영향력은 제한적이다. 본 논문은 종교 지정학적 행위의 영향을 평가하는데 수행의 다른 이론의-문화 사회학자인 Jeffrey Alexander에 의한 사회적 수행의 최근의 실용적, 연극론적, 비후기구조주의 이론화-부가적인 유용성을 최근의 지정학적인 몰몬교 연차대회를 사례로 실증한다. 본 연구는 Butler와 Alexander를 통해서 몰몬교 연차대회는 유의미한 지정학적 성취를 이루었다고 결론짓는다. 그러나 본 연구는 주로 Alexander를 통해서 이러한 지정학적 성취는 새롭거나 추가적인 지정학적 행위를 유발시키는데 제한된 역할을 했다는 것을 논의한다. 이러한 지정학적 성취의 영향력은 변환시키기 보다는 강화시키는 것이었다.

Keywords

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