The Power of 'Publicness' Discourse: An Analysis of Counter-Hegemonic Formation Against Health System Privatisation

In the health sector, social movements have achieved notable success in certain counter-hegemonic struggles against neoliberalism. In South Korea, the 'publicness' discourse has been central to such movements. Through discourse analysis, this study examines two cases in which civic participation played a key role in successfully resisting privatisation. Our contribution includes a detailed contextualisation of for-profit hospital cases and a comprehensive analysis of antagonistic discourses, agents, and ideologies, grounded in the discourse theory developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Against neoliberal and developmental hegemony, a 'publicness' empty signifier articulated to public health institutions had hegemonic power, and the values of the health sector, including the right to health and health equity, served as a cross-sectoral unifying bond. Our findings present an account of a counter-hegemonic movement, which could contribute to power formation within and beyond a single sector and state. To conclude, we claim that although neoliberalism seems to dominate the health sector in South Korea and other national contexts, there are critical conjunctures which can challenge it and provide alternatives.