Erecting monuments and making meanings: Analysis of the Statue of Peace using actor‐network theory

Abstract

ObjectiveThis article analyzes the monument‐building and meaning‐making processes in the construction of the Statues of Peace erected to commemorate the Korean “Comfort Women.” The tensions surrounding the erection of the Statues of Peace did not stop with their installation, as people then started to place different objects on the statues. This article uses actor‐network theory (ANT) to shed light on the formation that this has involved of a new representational and cultural politics.MethodsFirst, archival research was conducted to understand current issues involving both ANT and the Statues of Peace. Participant observations and semistructured interviews with NGOs were conducted.ResultsI look at the afterlife of the Statues of Peace in cases involving not only destruction or restoration but also smaller acts of support or subversion. New material quality and meanings were formed by these actions.ConclusionI show that ANT is a useful framework for understanding the representational complexity surrounding public monuments and their reception.