고등학교 교과서에 나타난 민족정체성 서술에 대한 분석

Abstract

This paper critically examines the shifting constructions of nationhood expressed in school textbooks. In South Korean education since the late 1990s, hegemonic discourses of national identity have been challenged by the increasing multiculturalism in the society. As late as the mid- 1990s, the two Korean states were referred to as an “exceptional case” of ethnic homogeneity in which citizens are said to share the same language or belong to the same ethno-national groups. However, more recently, the question of national identity has gradually shifted from ethnic-cultural homogeneity to include more political and civic dimensions. The notion of homogeneity is contested in the official discourses of South Korea. In recent textbooks, more attention is paid to the integration of social and cultural differences with the diversification of the society. Ethnic homogeneity is still mentioned, but the emphasis differs among textbooks. Although the textbooks are yet to embrace a wholehearted recognition of “multicultural citizenship” when discussing the Korean nationhood, openness, tolerance and understanding are increasingly becoming key words, which open room for further debates.