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ABSTRACT
The major purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which multiethnic Korea and Thailand are cultural democracies. The primary conceptual framework guiding this study is the powerful but largely ignored concept of cultural democracy. Bereday’s classic model of comparative research is another major theoretical and methodological framework utilized. The major methodologies used are comparative qualitative case studies, meta-synthesis, and participant-observation. Comparative national case studies are rare. A number of striking similarities between the two countries are identified. The very low fertility rates of both nations drive a critical need for guest workers and international students. Both countries in general have pursued assimilationist policies not conducive to cultural democracy. The final part of the paper offers suggestions for strengthening cultural democracy in both nations. Their long-term potential can be enhanced if both these societies recognize the ‘diversity advantage’ and move actively to realize the ideal of cultural democracy.
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Additional information
Notes on contributors
Gerald W. Fry
Gerald W. Fry is a Distinguished International Professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. In 2018–2019 he was a Visiting Scholar at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. He received his BA from Stanford University, a MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, and his Ph.D. from Stanford University. Previously Dr. Fry was a professor of political science and international studies at the University of Oregon where he also directed the International Studies Programme and the Centre for Asian and Pacific Studies. He was the Team Leader for major Asian Development Bank Projects in Laos and Thailand related to education reform. He has previously taught at Stanford and various universities in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. In 1991–1992 he was a Pew Fellow in International Affairs at the Kennedy School at Harvard. Among his many publications are the books, Pacific Basin and Oceania, The International Education of Development Consultants: Communicating with Princes and Peasants, International Development Dictionary, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Historical Dictionary of Thailand, and Education in Thailand: An Old Elephant in Search of a New Mahout.
Haelim Chun
Haelim Chun is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Minnesota. She earned her B.A in Child and Family Studies and M.A in International Politics from the Graduate of Institute Peace Studies at Kyunghee University. Before coming to the U.S, she worked as a research associate at the Korean Education Development Education Institute (KEDI). At KEDI, Haelim participated in government projects that aimed to share Korea’s experience of rapid economic growth and specifically did research on educational cooperation with countries in Southeast Asia and Africa. She also worked as an admission officer at Handong Global University in Pohang, a research associate at the Korean Council for University Education, and as a research associate at the Centre for Innovative Higher Education, Sungkyunkwan University. Currently she is a Graduate Research Associate at the American Council on Education (ACE), Washington, D.C.
Rosarin Apahung
Rosarin Apahung teaches mathematics at Chumchon Bansang School in Seka District, Bueng Kan province in remote Northeast Thailand. She received undergraduate degrees in both elementary education and law from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) and a MA in curriculum and instruction from Udon Thani Rajabhat University. She received a doctorate in Strategies for the Management of Curricular Design from Udon Thani Rajabhat University in 2015. She has won many outstanding teacher awards. She is Academic Head, Sang Nongthum School Cluster and Head of Academic Administration of Chumchon Bangsan School in Bueng Kan province. She has served as a consultant to the Institute for the Promotion of Science and Technology (IPST) in STEM curriculum development and to the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) to develop a new national mathematics curriculum. In the fall of 2016, she was an invited visiting scholar in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, University of Minnesota. On 21 January 2017 she received a national award from the National Research Council of Thailand for being an outstanding researcher-teacher. She has book chapters in recent books on Thai education (Springer) and education in Southeast Asia (BookWay, Japan). Her current research focuses on strategies for using mathematics and statistics to promote ASEAN cultural literacy and the cultural correlates of happiness education. In April, 2017, she did an invited presentation at the University of Malaya on her innovative maths textbook to foster ASEAN cultural knowledge and awareness. In 2019, she has been an adjunct instructor teaching graduate students at Udon Thani Rajabhat University in Thailand.