What happens to social movements after policy success? Framing the unintended consequences and changing dynamics of the Korean women’s movement

Abstract

Since the late 1990s, the consequences of collective action have been subject to an expanded scholarly inquiry. In particular, a growing body of analysis has elaborated on the impact of social movements on policy, coupled with studies dealing with structural, organizational, and biographical changes. On the whole, however, the literature continues to under-recognize how unintended consequences affect the way social movements function. In order to illustrate the unanticipated yet profound impact of unintended consequences on movement dynamics, I examine the Korean women’s movement as a case study. My analysis focuses on establishing the following three propositions. First, unintended results motivate movement participants to react promptly; this leads them to voluntarily or involuntarily alter their organizational infrastructures, thereby effecting changes in movement dynamics. Second, the impact of unintended consequences is transmitted to movement participants through the process of framing; it is one’s personal assessment rather than a detached appraisal of collective action outcomes that influences movement dynamics. Third, a negative evaluation of the unintended consequences may generate an impetus for reinvigorating collective action.