Neoliberal practices amidst social justice orientations: global citizenship education in South Korea

Abstract

Global citizenship education (GCE) positions itself on the global arena as a transformative social justice oriented educational curriculum that addresses the political, social, economic and cultural inequalities brought about through colonisation and neoliberalism on the global and local levels. Through an exploration of the discourse, design and delivery of GCE in the young nation-state of South Korea, we argue that, in fact, GCE reinforces and maintains the hegemonic ideals of global capitalism; core-periphery global and local relationships; and dichotomous views of poverty and inequalities. We argue that these approaches reflect South Korea’s geopolitical realities, but that attitudes towards GCE in South Korea also reflect its cultural norms and values towards working together towards a common good. Ultimately, we call for a more nuanced approach to GCE scholarship in which we move away from theoretical divisions to practical applications of social justice that work within increasingly capitalist/neoliberal interests for a more inclusive world.

Keywords:

• Global citizenship
• global citizenship education
• critical theory
• South Korea

Acknowledgements

The research is derived from Hye Seung Cho’s PhD thesis, Cho (2016) awarded in 2016, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Notes

1. Han Bi-ya is a celebrated Korean relief worker, poverty alleviate advocate, and travel writer. She is one of the top celebrities of impact in South Korea. She was a team leader of the Emergency Relief Team for World Vision, and has published a number of books including her famous book, March off the Map.

2. Itaewon or Gangnam District is one of the 25 local government districts in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Itaewon or Gangnam are perceived as places where relatively privileged wealthy people reside. Especially, Gangnam School District 8 is known for top performing school district in the country.

3. In Korea in general, apartment implies upper-middle-class housing.