How signs of compliance cultivate noncompliance: A study of Korean neo-Confucian academies, 1327-1800

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the possibilities of institutional change through the lens of the
ritualisms of compliance and categorization. By returning to the logic of confidence in
institutional analysis while incorporating insights from the literature on hidden
transcripts and social categorization, I argue that non-compliant organizations can thrive
when they are situated in a geographical area that shows public signs of compliance.
Audience members including authorities tend to lump together organizations from the
same area and overlook anomalies within this deferential community. By drawing from
a unique dataset of Korean neo-Confucian academies from 1327 to 1800 and using
event history analyses of the grants of royal charters, this study reveals that noncompliant academies – academies that taught principles that were divergent from the
ruling party's doctrine – were most likely to be chartered when they operated in an area
whose collegial activities apparently supported Confucian norms. This finding
constructs a novel framework to better understand the prologue to manifest conflicts
and complements a broader set of studies that examine institutional change
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe 116th Annual Meeting of American Sociological Association
Number of pages21
Publication statusPublished - 10 Aug 2021

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