Multiculturalism or Revamped Monoculturalism: Exploring the Principles, Policies, and Practices Enacted in Korea’s Changing Society
Keywords:
Korea, Multiculturalism, Monoculturalism, Society, Policy
Abstract
This theoretical essay critically explores the principles, policies, and practices enacted in South Korea under the banner “multiculturalism.” The central finding advanced frames Korean multiculturalism as being a sociopolitical device that has the agenda of making migrants “multicultural” by understanding and adapting to Korean monoculturalism. The contribution of this study lies in its in-depth analysis of the rise of Korean multiculturalism in the years after the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games to the present time. The essay concludes with the recommendation that multicultural initiatives be designed to create a broader, more inclusive “we” that enhances Korea’s national identity and culture.
References
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Ahn, J. (2013). Visualizing race: Neoliberal multiculturalism and the struggle for Koreanness in contemporary South Korean television (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Austin, Texas, The University of Texas at Austin.
Ahn, J. (2014). Rearticulating black mixed-race in the era of globalization: Hines Ward and the struggle for Koreanness in contemporary South Korean media. Cultural Studies, 28(3), 391-417. doi:10.1080/09502386.2013.840665
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Cheng, S. (2011). Sexual protection, citizenship, and nationhood: Prostituted women and migrant wives in South Korea. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1627-1648. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613335
Cho, M. (2010). Envisioning Seoul as a world city: The cultural politics of the Hong-dae cultural district. Asian Studies Review, 34, 329-347.
doi:10.1080/10357823.2010.508101
Choi, J. (2010). Educating citizens in a multicultural society: The case of South Korea. The Social Studies, 101, 174-178. doi:10.1080/00377990903284153
Chung, E. (2010). Workers or residents? Diverging patterns immigrant incorporation in Korea and Japan. Pacific Affairs, 83(4), 675-696.
Chung, J. (2011). The (dis)connection between policy and practice: Primary English education in South Korea (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. 3484356)
Chung, E., & Kim, D. (2012). Citizenship and marriage in a globalizing world: Multicultural families and monocultural nationality laws in Korea and Japan. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 19(1), 195-219.
Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2012). Critical race theory: An introduction (2nd ed.). New York, NY: New York University Press.
Gage, S. (2007). Pure mixed blood: The multiple identities of Ameriasians in South Korea (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. 3253643)
Han, G. (2007). Multicultural Korea: Celebration or challenge of multiethnic shift in contemporary Korea? Korea Journal, 47(4), 32-63. Retrieved from https://www.ekoreajournal.net/issue/index2.htm?Idx=419
Han, K. (2007). The archeology of the ethnically homogenous nation-state and multiculturalism in Korea. Korea Journal, 47(4), 8-31. Retrieved from https://www.ekoreajournal.net/issue/index2.htm?Idx=419#
Hong, W., & Halvorsen, A. (2014). Teaching the USA in South Korean secondary classrooms: The curriculum of ‘the superior other.’ J. Curriculum Studies, 46(2), 249-275. doi:10.1080/00220272.2013.777122
Hunt, J. (2014). From western English to global English: Issues in cultural and pragmatic instruction. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(12C), 4-7. doi:10.12691/education-2-12C-2
Hunt, J. (2017). A nation of one: A critical analysis of the rise of the notion of ethnocultural oneness in twentieth-century Korea. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Jun, E. (2012). We have to transform ourselves first: The ethics of liberal developmentalism and multicultural governance in South Korea. Focaal: Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology, 64, 99-112.
doi:10.3167/fcl.2012.640109
Jung, E., Yoo, E., & Kim, H. (2014). Life experience of married immigrant women in Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Healthcare and Nursing, 61, 85-88. doi:10.14257/astl.2014.61.21
Jung, E., Yoo, E., Kim, H. (2015). Life experience of Korean men who married immigrant women in Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: IRTT, 96, 95-98. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.96.20
Kang, H., Callahan, J., & Anne, M. (2015). An intersectional social capital model of career development for international marriage immigrants. The Career Development Quarterly, 63, 238-252. doi:10.1002/cdq.12016
Kang, S. (2010). Multicultural education and the rights to education of migrant children in South Korea. Educational Review, 62(3), 287-300.
doi:10.1080/00131911.2010.503599
Kim, H. J., Yoo, E., Jung, E., & Yang, M. (2015). Spiritual well-being of foreign immigrant women married to Korean men. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Healthcare and Nursing, 88, 154-157. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.88.32
Kim, H. M. (2007). The state and migrant women: Diverging hopes in the making of multicultural families in contemporary Korea. Korea Journal, 47(4), 100-122.
Kim, H. M., & Cho, C. (2015). Comparative analysis of multi-cultural situations between Germany and Korea—Focusing on multicultural backgrounds, characteristics and policies for social integration. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Art, Culture, Game, Graphics, Broadcasting and Digital Contents, 87, 100-107. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.87.21
Kim, H. R., & Oh, I. (2011). Migration and multicultural contention in East Asia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1563-1581. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613332
Kim, J. (2011). The politics of culture in multicultural Korea. The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1583-1604.
doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613333
Kim, M. (2015). The Korean government’s recent response to address issues surrounding marriage migrants. Advanced Science and Technology Letters, 91, 103-108. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.91.22
Kim, N. (2014). Multicultural challenges in Korea: The current stage and prospect. International Migration, 52(2), 100-121.
doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00582.x
Kim, Y. M., Son, M., Jeong, S., & Yoo, E. (2013). Cultural transition and well-being experience of immigrant women married to Korean men in South Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Healthcare and Nursing, 40, 19-23. doi:10.14257/astl.2013.40.05
Kong, D., Yoon, K., & Yu, S. (2010). The social dimensions of immigration in Korea. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 40(2), 252-274.
doi:10.1080/00472331003600473
Landsman, G., Ham, J., & Min, H. (2014). Multiculturalism in Korea and differing views of adaption based on foreign interaction with Korean culture. Advanced Science and Technology Letters, 71, 145-148. Retrieved from
http://onlinepresent.org/proceedings/vol71_2014/34.pdf
Lee, H. O. (2012). Political economy of cross-border marriage: Economic development and social reproduction in Korea. Feminists Economics, 18(2), 177-200. doi:10.1080/13545701.2012.688139
Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs. (2015). Statistical yearbook. Retrieved from www.korea.kr/common/download.do?tblKey
=EDN&fileId=210513
Oh, J., Kang, D., Shin, J., Lee, S. L., Lee, S. B., & Chung, K. (2012). Migration profile of the Republic of Korea. Retrieved from http://publications.iom.int
/bookstore/free/MP_Korea.pdf
Parrenas, R., & Kim, J. (2011). Multicultural East Asia: An introduction. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1555-1561.
doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613331
Roh, S. (2014). A study on the factors affecting the intercultural sensitivity of middle and high school students in Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Education, 47, 266-269. doi:10.14257/astl.2014.47.61
Schenck, A. (2013). Korea’s “model minority”: A case study of an American-Korean bilingual student’s challenges learning English in South Korea. Journal of International Education and Leadership, 3(3), 1-15.
Seol, D. (2014). The citizenship of foreign workers: Stratified formation, fragmented evolution. In K. Chang (Ed.), South Korea in transition: Politics and culture of citizenship (pp. 131-145). New York, NY: Routledge.
Shim, T., Kim, M. S., & Martin, J. (2008). Changing Korea: Understanding culture and communication. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Shin, G. (2006). Ethnic nationalism in Korea. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Shipper, A. (2012). Influence of the weak: The role of foreigners, activism, and NGO networks in democratizing Northeast Asia. International Studies Quarterly, 56, 689-703. doi: l0.1111/j.1468-2478.2012.00742.x
Statistics Korea. (2015, April 23). Marriage and divorce statistics in 2014. Retrieved from http://kostat.go.kr/portal/english/news/1/1/index.board
United Nations. (2007). Report of the committee on the elimination of racial discrimination. New York, NY: United Nations.
Watson, I. (2010). Multiculturalism in South Korea: A critical assessment. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 40(2), 337-346. doi:10.1080/00472331003600549
World Bank. (2015a). Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Retrieved from
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN/countries/1W?page=6&display=default
World Bank. (2015b). Gross domestic product 2013, PPP. Retrieved from
http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP_PPP.pdf
Yoo, J. W., Jo, S. S., & Jung, J. M. (2014). The effects of television viewing, cultural proximity, and ethnocentrism on country image. Social Behavior and Personality, 42(1), 89-96. doi:10.2224/sbp.2014.42.1.89
Zlotnik, H. (2003). The global dimensions of female migration. Retrieved from
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/global-dimensions-female-migration
Ahn, J. (2013). Visualizing race: Neoliberal multiculturalism and the struggle for Koreanness in contemporary South Korean television (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Austin, Texas, The University of Texas at Austin.
Ahn, J. (2014). Rearticulating black mixed-race in the era of globalization: Hines Ward and the struggle for Koreanness in contemporary South Korean media. Cultural Studies, 28(3), 391-417. doi:10.1080/09502386.2013.840665
Baker, D. (1995). Make us one: Celebrating spiritual unity in the midst of cultural diversity. Boise, ID: Pacific Press.
Cheng, S. (2011). Sexual protection, citizenship, and nationhood: Prostituted women and migrant wives in South Korea. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1627-1648. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613335
Cho, M. (2010). Envisioning Seoul as a world city: The cultural politics of the Hong-dae cultural district. Asian Studies Review, 34, 329-347.
doi:10.1080/10357823.2010.508101
Choi, J. (2010). Educating citizens in a multicultural society: The case of South Korea. The Social Studies, 101, 174-178. doi:10.1080/00377990903284153
Chung, E. (2010). Workers or residents? Diverging patterns immigrant incorporation in Korea and Japan. Pacific Affairs, 83(4), 675-696.
Chung, J. (2011). The (dis)connection between policy and practice: Primary English education in South Korea (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. 3484356)
Chung, E., & Kim, D. (2012). Citizenship and marriage in a globalizing world: Multicultural families and monocultural nationality laws in Korea and Japan. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 19(1), 195-219.
Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2012). Critical race theory: An introduction (2nd ed.). New York, NY: New York University Press.
Gage, S. (2007). Pure mixed blood: The multiple identities of Ameriasians in South Korea (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. 3253643)
Han, G. (2007). Multicultural Korea: Celebration or challenge of multiethnic shift in contemporary Korea? Korea Journal, 47(4), 32-63. Retrieved from https://www.ekoreajournal.net/issue/index2.htm?Idx=419
Han, K. (2007). The archeology of the ethnically homogenous nation-state and multiculturalism in Korea. Korea Journal, 47(4), 8-31. Retrieved from https://www.ekoreajournal.net/issue/index2.htm?Idx=419#
Hong, W., & Halvorsen, A. (2014). Teaching the USA in South Korean secondary classrooms: The curriculum of ‘the superior other.’ J. Curriculum Studies, 46(2), 249-275. doi:10.1080/00220272.2013.777122
Hunt, J. (2014). From western English to global English: Issues in cultural and pragmatic instruction. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(12C), 4-7. doi:10.12691/education-2-12C-2
Hunt, J. (2017). A nation of one: A critical analysis of the rise of the notion of ethnocultural oneness in twentieth-century Korea. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Jun, E. (2012). We have to transform ourselves first: The ethics of liberal developmentalism and multicultural governance in South Korea. Focaal: Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology, 64, 99-112.
doi:10.3167/fcl.2012.640109
Jung, E., Yoo, E., & Kim, H. (2014). Life experience of married immigrant women in Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Healthcare and Nursing, 61, 85-88. doi:10.14257/astl.2014.61.21
Jung, E., Yoo, E., Kim, H. (2015). Life experience of Korean men who married immigrant women in Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: IRTT, 96, 95-98. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.96.20
Kang, H., Callahan, J., & Anne, M. (2015). An intersectional social capital model of career development for international marriage immigrants. The Career Development Quarterly, 63, 238-252. doi:10.1002/cdq.12016
Kang, S. (2010). Multicultural education and the rights to education of migrant children in South Korea. Educational Review, 62(3), 287-300.
doi:10.1080/00131911.2010.503599
Kim, H. J., Yoo, E., Jung, E., & Yang, M. (2015). Spiritual well-being of foreign immigrant women married to Korean men. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Healthcare and Nursing, 88, 154-157. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.88.32
Kim, H. M. (2007). The state and migrant women: Diverging hopes in the making of multicultural families in contemporary Korea. Korea Journal, 47(4), 100-122.
Kim, H. M., & Cho, C. (2015). Comparative analysis of multi-cultural situations between Germany and Korea—Focusing on multicultural backgrounds, characteristics and policies for social integration. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Art, Culture, Game, Graphics, Broadcasting and Digital Contents, 87, 100-107. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.87.21
Kim, H. R., & Oh, I. (2011). Migration and multicultural contention in East Asia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1563-1581. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613332
Kim, J. (2011). The politics of culture in multicultural Korea. The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1583-1604.
doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613333
Kim, M. (2015). The Korean government’s recent response to address issues surrounding marriage migrants. Advanced Science and Technology Letters, 91, 103-108. doi:10.14257/astl.2015.91.22
Kim, N. (2014). Multicultural challenges in Korea: The current stage and prospect. International Migration, 52(2), 100-121.
doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00582.x
Kim, Y. M., Son, M., Jeong, S., & Yoo, E. (2013). Cultural transition and well-being experience of immigrant women married to Korean men in South Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Healthcare and Nursing, 40, 19-23. doi:10.14257/astl.2013.40.05
Kong, D., Yoon, K., & Yu, S. (2010). The social dimensions of immigration in Korea. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 40(2), 252-274.
doi:10.1080/00472331003600473
Landsman, G., Ham, J., & Min, H. (2014). Multiculturalism in Korea and differing views of adaption based on foreign interaction with Korean culture. Advanced Science and Technology Letters, 71, 145-148. Retrieved from
http://onlinepresent.org/proceedings/vol71_2014/34.pdf
Lee, H. O. (2012). Political economy of cross-border marriage: Economic development and social reproduction in Korea. Feminists Economics, 18(2), 177-200. doi:10.1080/13545701.2012.688139
Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs. (2015). Statistical yearbook. Retrieved from www.korea.kr/common/download.do?tblKey
=EDN&fileId=210513
Oh, J., Kang, D., Shin, J., Lee, S. L., Lee, S. B., & Chung, K. (2012). Migration profile of the Republic of Korea. Retrieved from http://publications.iom.int
/bookstore/free/MP_Korea.pdf
Parrenas, R., & Kim, J. (2011). Multicultural East Asia: An introduction. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1555-1561.
doi:10.1080/1369183X.2011.613331
Roh, S. (2014). A study on the factors affecting the intercultural sensitivity of middle and high school students in Korea. Advanced Science and Technology Letters: Education, 47, 266-269. doi:10.14257/astl.2014.47.61
Schenck, A. (2013). Korea’s “model minority”: A case study of an American-Korean bilingual student’s challenges learning English in South Korea. Journal of International Education and Leadership, 3(3), 1-15.
Seol, D. (2014). The citizenship of foreign workers: Stratified formation, fragmented evolution. In K. Chang (Ed.), South Korea in transition: Politics and culture of citizenship (pp. 131-145). New York, NY: Routledge.
Shim, T., Kim, M. S., & Martin, J. (2008). Changing Korea: Understanding culture and communication. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Shin, G. (2006). Ethnic nationalism in Korea. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Shipper, A. (2012). Influence of the weak: The role of foreigners, activism, and NGO networks in democratizing Northeast Asia. International Studies Quarterly, 56, 689-703. doi: l0.1111/j.1468-2478.2012.00742.x
Statistics Korea. (2015, April 23). Marriage and divorce statistics in 2014. Retrieved from http://kostat.go.kr/portal/english/news/1/1/index.board
United Nations. (2007). Report of the committee on the elimination of racial discrimination. New York, NY: United Nations.
Watson, I. (2010). Multiculturalism in South Korea: A critical assessment. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 40(2), 337-346. doi:10.1080/00472331003600549
World Bank. (2015a). Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Retrieved from
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN/countries/1W?page=6&display=default
World Bank. (2015b). Gross domestic product 2013, PPP. Retrieved from
http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP_PPP.pdf
Yoo, J. W., Jo, S. S., & Jung, J. M. (2014). The effects of television viewing, cultural proximity, and ethnocentrism on country image. Social Behavior and Personality, 42(1), 89-96. doi:10.2224/sbp.2014.42.1.89
Zlotnik, H. (2003). The global dimensions of female migration. Retrieved from
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/global-dimensions-female-migration
Published
2020-12-09
How to Cite
Gabriel Hunt, J. (2020). Multiculturalism or Revamped Monoculturalism: Exploring the Principles, Policies, and Practices Enacted in Korea’s Changing Society. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 3(4), 9-21. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v3i4.53
Section
Main Articles
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
