Understanding the “Other”: Rethinking Multiculturalism in South Korea through Gadamer’s Philosophical Hermeneutics

Authors

  • Jeong-Hee Kim Texas Tech University
  • Kyunghee So Seoul National University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v20i1.1509

Keywords:

multiculturalism, multicultural education, philosophical hermeneutics, South Korea, global age

Abstract

In this paper, we interrogate the current state of multiculturalism and multicultural education in South Korea and offer a possible theoretical framework that is lacking in the field of multicultural education. We provide three principles of multicultural understanding grounded in Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics to inform multiculturalism in South Korea and beyond. Based on these principles, we propose that multiculturalism be understood and educated as a way of being, that is, as an ontological multiculturalism, which contributes to a deeper understanding of what it means to be multicultural citizens in the global age. 

Author Biographies

Jeong-Hee Kim, Texas Tech University

Professor of Curriculum Studies, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education

Kyunghee So, Seoul National University

Professor of Curriculum Studies, Department of Education

Downloads

Published

2018-02-28

How to Cite

Kim, J.-H., & So, K. (2018). Understanding the “Other”: Rethinking Multiculturalism in South Korea through Gadamer’s Philosophical Hermeneutics. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 20(1), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v20i1.1509