Old narratives in new times: representations of North Korea and unification in South Korean social studies textbooks

ABSTRACT

Despite the increasing literature on textbook analysis in post-conflict societies, few studies have investigated textbooks in conflict-ridden areas where wars and armed conflicts are still ongoing. This study examines representations of North Korea and unification in South Korean middle school social studies textbooks. South Korea is an interesting case to study, as it is the site of both an intractable conflict and emerging multicultural state. The findings of the study demonstrate that textbooks failed to provide any complex international perspectives of unification; described deficit-only views of North Korea, along with a sense of economic, cultural and political superiority of South Korea; took a lopsided view of the South–North relationship; and offered a nationalistic and ethnocentric approach to legitimising unification. This paper provides recommendations for future research that will resonate with scholars and policymakers in different conflict situations, contributing to diverse understandings of the contextualised nature of textbooks in divided societies.

KEYWORDS:

• Peacebuilding
• textbook content analysis
• South Korean social studies textbook
• North Korea and unification education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Post-conflict here refers to a ‘conflict situation in which open warfare has come to an end. Such situations remain tense for years or decades and can easily relapse into large-scale violence’ (Junne and Verokren 2005). In post-conflict societies, there is an absence of war and/or armed conflict, but necessarily no real peace because ‘the end of fighting does offer an opportunity to work towards lasting peace, but that requires the establishment of viable institutions, capable of ensuring lasting security for the entire population’ (Brahimi 2007, 3).