Rewarding Frugality: Ascetic Nationalism in Developing South Korea
Dr. Anna Lee
Frieberg Post-Doctoral Fellow
19/04/2023 - WED 16:30 - Room 5318
Abstract
My talk explores how mundane activities, such as switching off lights, conserving water, and making fewer phone calls, became an important political praxis and cultural prescription in Park Chung Hee period (1961-1979) South Korea. Administering frugality in daily life contexts became the “fingertip” project of the state, encouraging bureaucrats and citizens alike through "frugality awards."