Behind the Artificial Mountain: The Consequences of the Choice of Raw Materials for South Korea's Soyang Dam, 1967-72.

Abstract

This article introduces the importance of "raw materials activities" to foreground the overlooked material and labor dimensions of infrastructure. Through a case study of South Korea's Soyang Dam, it argues that following raw material activities provides a lens for understanding the broader social and environmental impacts of infrastructure. Raw material activities refer to the full range of human and technical labor involved in construction materials-including planning, extraction, transportation, processing, and even the erasure of material traces after use. In the case of the Soyang Dam, examining this labor illuminates competing visions of national development, economic interests, environmental commodification, and the dispossession of both humans and nonhumans in rural areas. Recognizing the materiality of raw materials is essential to fully grasp the often-overlooked infrastructural impacts on society and the environment.