Teaching 'Multiculturally': Geography as a Basis for Multicultural Education in Korea

Overview & Synopsis

Along with its multicultural transformation, Korea is experiencing structural challenges of multicultural education that has been often criticized as assimilation driven and immigrant education oriented. In fact, multicultural education targeted at the Korean public should be as equally important as the newly arrived migrants, if not less. The paper seeks to identify existing complications of multicultural education in Korea by reviewing its practices in the sociopolitical context, while providing alternatives from the perspectives of geography. The importance of localization and place-based pedagogy is exemplified by the strength of geography education, emphasizing its compatibility and contributory potential to multicultural education. In addition, geography field trip lessons of Daegu that may be of interest to multicultural educators are presented as reference lessons in further developing multicultural education in Korea. By teaching multicultural education more 'multiculturally,' geography education not only outright reflects the richness of Korea's growing cultural diversity, but also lends its flexibility nature and all-encompassing approaches to enhance social cohesion and inclusion.