@article{ART003323355},
author={Kim, Mi-young},
title={Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”},
journal={Korean Language & Literature},
issn={1229-1730},
year={2026},
number={132},
pages={261-285}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kim, Mi-young
TI - Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”
JO - Korean Language & Literature
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 132
PB - Korean Language & Literature
SP - 261
EP - 285
SN - 1229-1730
AB - This article examines the structural violence embedded in care work and the possibilities for overcoming such violence, with focus on the female characters in Park Wan-seo’s short stories “The House of Foam” (1976) and “Forty-Nine Years Old” (2003).
“The House of Foam” pays attention to the protagonist’s transgressive mode of action in response to the oppression embedded in care. The female character in the story responds to the power dynamics of care through a sudden act of deviation, yet chooses compliance without being able to resist the strategic exercise of power secured through the moral imperative of filial piety. This suggests how the collective’s implicit norms automatically activate bodily responses, resulting in behavior attuned to “affective modulation.” “Forty-Nine Years Old” focuses on a character who becomes aware of the hierarchical violence of care and experiences an affective shift. The female character challenges the regulatory limits of care with anger, refusing to be consumed by disgust and shame amidst encounters within care relationships. Furthermore, she attempts to blur the boundaries of care through solidarity and the expansion of the world, mediated by mutual caregiving. The process through which female characters seek the potential of civic care beyond private care suggests the possibility of advancing toward the politics of care.
The ethical violence imposed on care work and the affective awakening sensed by female characters make them aware of women’s lived realities and socio-structural limits. Nonetheless, the female characters seek alternatives to address the limits of care work within social networks. This emphasizes the need for not only socio-structural change in care but also civic care.
KW - Park Wan-seo;Care Labor;Civic Care;Gender;affect;Care politics
DO -
UR -
ER -
Kim, Mi-young. (2026). Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”. Korean Language & Literature, 132, 261-285.
Kim, Mi-young. 2026, "Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”", Korean Language & Literature, no.132, pp.261-285.
Kim, Mi-young "Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”" Korean Language & Literature 132 pp.261-285 (2026) : 261.
Kim, Mi-young. Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”. 2026; 132 : 261-285.
Kim, Mi-young. "Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”" Korean Language & Literature no.132(2026) : 261-285.
Kim, Mi-young. Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”. Korean Language & Literature, 132, 261-285.
Kim, Mi-young. Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”. Korean Language & Literature. 2026; 132 261-285.
Kim, Mi-young. Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”. 2026; 132 : 261-285.
Kim, Mi-young. "Structural Violence of Familial Care and the Possibility of Civic Care: Focusing on Park Wan-seo’s “The House of Foam” and “Forty-Nine Years Old”" Korean Language & Literature no.132(2026) : 261-285.
