지역화폐운동에의 참여경험에 관한 연구

A Study about Participating LETS: Focused on the Songpapumasi and the HanbatLETS

본 연구는 지역공동체운동의 일환으로서 주민참여의 통로 역할을 수행하고 있는 지역화폐에 대해 소개하고, 지역화폐운동 참여자들이 지역화폐에 참여하면서 경험하게 되는 삶과 의식에서의 변화 내용을 이해하고자 하는 데 목적이 있다. 이에 따라 우리나라에서 지역화폐를 도입하여 가장 활발한 운영을 보이고 있는 송파품앗이와 한밭레츠를 비교분석 하였다. 이를 통해 지역화폐운동은 거래를 통해 관계 맺기를 시작하여, 그 맺어진 관계를 통해 운동(movement)으로 확장하게 된다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 즉, 지역화폐를 통한 일련의 모든 경험 내용과 변화는 참여자들에게 다양한 경험 내용을 통해 관계맺음(거래하기, 다양한 사람들 만나기, 지역느끼기 등)과 관계맺음을 풀어내는 과정 속(생활속의 혁명, 환경운동, 자원봉사 등)에서 자신들이 있는 그 자리, 지역사회안, 직업세계, 거래 속에서 믿고 살 수 있는 “신뢰사회”를 만들고 있다는 것을 알 수 있었다.

The purpose of this study is to explore the Local Exchange & Trading System(LETS) that acts as a communication pathway for community movement. It also aims to understand how the participants lives and consciousness undergo changes while they participate in LETS. In this study, I have analyzed two case studies that operate LETS most actively in Korea. As a result of the study, I will summarize the LETS participants participating property as followings. First, if we look at the introduction stage of LETS although some citizens begin their participation by personal purposes, they strongly assimilate themselves with LETS initiatives while doing their services. But if the participants purposes are not fulfilled, some tend to drop out pretty soon. This happens when they do not fully understand the relational recovery of LETS, and only pursue their economical interest. Also if the person does not experience the supporting system properly, many wane out their services. This can explain the fact that a lot of organizations that operate LETS have many dormant members. Second, participants understand that dealing in LETS is synonymous with making a relationship . They make relations one another and form trust by transactions. Namely they meet various people by transactions, acquiring diverse information and relation networks. While participating, citizens reported that they feel like 2nd home in Songpapumasi and HanbatLETS. Third, by participating in LETS, participants acquire certain relationship and by doing it, they seek various life changes including environmental activism, volunteering, and social activities. This formation of relationship also expands to socializing and caring one another in the community. They expand their aggregation by participating in Songpapumasi and HanbatLETS, associating themselves with alienated marginal people. In this viewpoint, Songpapumasi and HanbatLETS start making relationships by transactions, expand themselves through networked relations, finally operate as social movements. This experiences and changes toward Songpapumasi and HanbatLETS participants can be narrated as the formation of trusty society . Participants diverse experiences, making and untangling the relationships enable them to form trusty societies in their current situation, in their community, in their occupational status, and in transactions. However, Songpapumasi and HanbatLETS show their differences from the origin. Songpapumasi views transactions and exchanges as volunteering, recognizing the activities in transactions as easy volunteering . HanbatLETS started as a community movement. It views transactions as means to form relations, and to perform community movements.