사회변혁의 ‘대안’으로서의 어소시에이션의 의미와 가능성에 관한 고찰

Since the late 1990s, the social phenomenon of so-called associations such as NGOs, NPOs, and cooperatives has been erupting. This has the aspect of an ‘alternative’ in that it seeks to replace the existing public and private sector entities representing the social structure, such as the government and corporations, with new entities and methods to solve social problems that they cannot solve. The trend of focusing on associations as an alternative can be seen in both right-wing and left-wing theories, which have had different perspectives and methods for social change. That is, scholars who focus on the ‘failure of the state’ in the public sphere are interested in associations in the sense of supplementing the public services that the state has been performing so far or seeking an alternative to representative democracy that is in crisis, while scholars who focus on the ‘failure of the market’ in the private sphere are interested in its possibility as an alternative theory of social change that can cure the ills of the capitalist market mechanism or replace collapsed socialism. Based on this, this article aims to explore the alternative meaning and possibility of association through conceptual, historical, and theoretical analysis, which is being noted by both right-wing and left-wing theories as an alternative to overcome the current social crisis. The term ‘association’ is used in a variety of ways, which can easily lead to uncertainty and confusion. Even though we are witnessing the same social phenomenon of the eruption of associations, there are different opinions on how to interpret it. Therefore, through a historical and theoretical analysis of association, this article will analyze the relationship between these various interpretations and further explore the possibility of establishing ‘associationism’ as an alternative theoretical system or ideology.