한 현대농촌일기에 나타난 촌락사회의 계(契) 형성과 공동체 원리

Abstract

This paper reviews how the organizational principle of Gye, which originated from the premodern society in Korea, has been utilized in the context of the modern agricultural society in Korea, focusing on records concerning establishment, activities and dissolution of a variety of Gyes found in 『Imsil Changpyeong Diary』 The emphasis herein, in particular, was put on highlighting the Korean community culture in relation to characteristics of Gye organizations, based on critical review, in parallel, of the concept of ‘layered and decentralized solidarity’ which represents non-existence of community in the premodern society in Korea. This paper is mainly divided into three chapters for the sake of analysis for the afore-said purposes. First of all, in Chapter 2, where the analysis starts, types and logics of Gye were analyzed from the intrinsic perspective. In so doing, this paper attempted to explain that organizational flexibility and easiness of dissolution is one of the key features of Gye and that the resulting convenience in operating the organization enabled Gye to have survived through the modern society and expanded in diverse manners. In Chapter 3, relationship between Gyes is reviewed to understand how the village societies have been constructed and operated. Through this effort, it was confirmed that even by the late 20th century, autonomous organizations of villages such as Donggye (洞契) or Donghoe (洞會) have been serving to control and support formation and activities of diverse organizations in the village. Nevertheless, it is also confirmed that various Gyes have existed not as a sub-organization of autonomous organizations of villages, but as a separate, independent entity in a certain way. This is how village societies could maintain its order, irrespective of continued creation and dissolution of Gyes. In Chapter 4, a relatively theoretical review was conducted to identify the nature and attributes of Gye organizations. In this regard, this paper showed that because of its operational method based on property-sharing and interest-taking with the principal remaining intact, Gye was an effective and proper means through formation of a community in the traditional Korean society whose material foundation was weak. And this paper asserts that variety and changeability of Gye and its decentralized and disconformable characteristics are not an indicator of non-existence of community but that they shall be understood as efforts to solve problems in life by forming communities. Based on the review above, this paper raised discussions on the meaning of the ‘binding power of properties’ in formation of a community and on how to understand specific and realistic purposes of various Gyes. And it also reviewed the meaning of such discussions in achieving an imminent task of creating community-like social relations from the present perspectives.