Jjokbang- chon, the Weight of an Open Community

Drawing from ethnographic research conducted in Dongja-dong, Seoul, commonly referred to as Jjokbang-chon (a slum-like village), this essay delves into the intricate dynamics of social suffering, or a series of processes by which various attempts to address suffering give rise to additional forms of distress. Specifically, the essay focuses on the possibilities and predicaments that arise when community organizations in Dongja-dong strive to respond to social suffering guided by shared values and ethics. Central to the inquiry is the notion that community is not a discrete collective entity with clearly defined boundaries, but rather an open assemblage where the question of "who we are" remains fluid and unresolved. This openness has facilitated the formation of networks of collective care and anti-poverty solidarity among Jjokbang dwellers, enabling them to interweave various resources both within and beyond their neighborhood. However, this fluidity also engenders tensions, particularly in the unpredictable and often hierarchical encounters that poor dwellers face with various actors. Despite the potentially empowering nature of new encounters, Jjokbang dwellers remain vulnerable to transactions of recognition that lack distributive justice, and susceptible to representational and disciplinary powers that scrutinize and judge their moral characters and conducts. In short, the essay illustrates how the poor themselves, the community organizations they establish, and Jjokbang-chon where they live continually (re-)emerge as they are caught up and contesting conflicting norms, frames, and perceptions surrounding poverty. Social suffering persists in this provisional and fluid assemblage, where researchers―alongside other actors―are deeply embedded participants in shaping the dynamics of intervention and response.