다문화교육의 규범적 방향 모색

A Study on Multi-cultural Education and Its Normative Orientation

Multi-culturalization in our society may be the cause of many problems, but if appropriately dealt with, diversity brought on by multi-culturalization could resolve chronic abuses in education and create a new culture, thereby contributing greatly to national development. The purpose of this study was to examine the current research on multi-cultural education and to provide a normative orientation to multi-cultural education. The literature research was conducted between March 2008 and September 2009. The followings are the findings of this study. First, the results reveal that the appropriate target of a multi-cultural society should not be assimilation, but rather, multi-culturalism. Multi-culturalism has greater adaptability, and the key lies in its respect for human rights, its strengthening of multi-cultural capacity, and its consideration for the minority by moving toward corporate multi-culturalism that aims for equality in results. Second, the first form of multi-cultural education emphasizes neutrality and argues that it is the best way to respect different cultures. This form of multi-cultural education emphasizes neutrality toward "sameness." In this context, sameness means equality of the rights of human beings. The other form of multi-cultural education emphasizes diversity and argues that it is the best way to respect different cultures. It focuses on the recognition of particularity. But it reveals its shortcomings when it excludes interaction not only between an individual and the culture, but also between the insider and outsider of the culture and its social institutions. Thus, multi-cultural education for mutual understanding is suggested. Third, it has been found that pure homogeneous nationalism must be destroyed, but nationalism needs to transform itself rather than be abolished in a globalized and multi-cultural society. Moreover, on behalf of pursuing open nationalism, the self-transformation of nationalism is advisable, in order to for it to overcome its antagonistic and exclusive nature.