Analyzing South Korea's Multicultural Education Policy Through the Lens of Coloniality

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Racial Capitalism, Coloniality, and the State’s Colonial/Imperial Educational Projects (Table 2)

Abstract

This study aimed to critically analyze South Korea's multicultural education policy through the lens of coloniality and explore directions for decolonizing multicultural education. For this study, multicultural education policy published by the Ministry of Education from 2006 to 2023, along with government joint presentation materials, were analyzed using the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method. The research findings revealed that the coloniality of power operates unnoticed within the underlying policy discourses (e.g. Problem-Solution, Generalization, Development). Concurrently, discourses advocating 'critical reflection' and 'anti-discrimination' conflict with the effects of colonial power. These results show the 'interstices' of colonial power within South Korea's multicultural education policy. In conclusion, the researchers propose the necessity of a decolonized multicultural education based on the interstices.

Authors

• Taegeun Yum, Seoul National University

• Kyunghee So, Seoul National University

• Soohan Lee, Seoul National University

• XUE LI, Gachon University(South Korea)

• Yuna Park, Seoul National University

• Sieun Kim, Seoul National University