Transformative Citizenship Education: Rooms for the Minorities

Ms Shinhwa Park, Education Unit

Introduction

Migration within and across nation states is worldwide phenomenon today. The world is
very quickly changing toward a multicultural society. Accordingly, the needs for new way of
citizenship education is rising to prepare for this global trend. This paper reviews two articles to
examine concepts of citizenship and citizenship education, and how it should be transformed to
meet the needs of the global society. The first article, (Banks, James A. "Diversity, group identity,
and citizenship education in a global age." Educational researcher 37, no. 3 (2008): 129-139),
suggests a concept of transformative citizenship education to prepare for an increasingly diverse
world. The second article, (Choi, Jungsoon. "Educating citizens in a multicultural society: The
case of South Korea." The Social Studies 101, no. 4 (2010): 174-178), looks at the case of South
Korea in terms of its uniqueness as a homogeneous society and how it its citizenship education
should be reformed to accommodate the increasing influx of people from other countries. I suggest
applying the concept of transformative citizenship education to South Korea, and then provide
some personal reflection on the key concepts of the two articles.

Summary

In terms of global citizenship education, Banks article raises critical question against
liberal assimilationist education which just focuses on integration of foreigners into mainstream
culture in nation-state without consideration of the minorities cultural context. The author stresses
that assimilation citizenship education could result in serious discrimination and conflict between
different cultures and races. So he suggests the concept of transformative citizenship education,
arguing that global citizenship education must be reformed to expand democratic multicultural
communities where people from diverse groups can interact with equality and freedom. The
transformative citizenship education aims to educate about cultural, national, and global identities,
and to develop information, skills, and values for coexisting in multicultural world (Banks, 2008).

The concept of transformative citizenship education seems proper to be applied to South

Korea case. Chois article provides case of South Korea in terms of citizenship education. The
articles main concern is nationalism of South Korea. In spite of huge influx of foreigners and their
cultures, South Korea still has so strong mind about one blood nation and uniqueness of Korean.
Its perspective of ethnic homogeneity causes top-down citizenship education and one-sided
multicultural policies. So the author argues South Korea needs changes in terms of their citizenship
education and policy toward the diverse groups to acknowledge and respect them. By doing that,
South Korea can prepare itself for an evitable multicultural society (Choi, 2010).

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 Reflection

The two articles emphasize the necessity of a new paradigm of global citizenship education
for upcoming multicultural world as an alternative to the existing citizenship education, which
tends to maintain relationship between power and knowledge. In other words, existing citizenship
education just focuses on integration and universal concepts which have been defined by
mainstream knowledge.

In this context, critical citizenship education like transformative citizenship education are
emerging against mainstream, stressing differences, justice, and more equal ground for dialogue
and power (Andreotti, 2013). These two article is valuable in the way that they vigorously
advocates basic rights like freedom and equality. Through seeking new paradigm of global
citizenship education, society should make room for the minorities to ensure social justice and
freedom for all of people.

In addition, the South Korea case reminds us that global citizenship education should find
ways to keep a balance between national identity and identity as a global citizen. Nationalism is
not always bad ideology. It can be foundation for nation to be harmonized. However, extreme
nationalism can result in discrimination, and exclude people from other cultures.

Conclusion

This review examined two articles with key words including global citizenship education,
multiculturalism, and diversity, and suggests transformative citizenship education as a new
paradigm of citizenship education for the increasingly multicultural world. The main message is
that through well-designed citizenship education, room for the marginalized should be ensured to
expand the values of freedom and equality. The two papers have convincingly made the case for
the why of global citizenship education. However, more debate and research is needed on the
how of this seemingly difficult model of citizenship education. Given the fact that we are used
to being educated within a system characterized by a hierarchy of power and by separation of
subject matters, how can this new concept of education play out to promote diversity and social
justice.

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References

Andreotti, Vanessa de Oliveira, and Karen Pashby. "Digital democracy and global
citizenship education: Mutually compatible or mutually complicit?." In The Educational
Forum, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 422-437. Taylor & Francis Group, 2013.
Banks, James A. "Diversity, group identity, and citizenship education in a global age."
Educational researcher 37, no. 3 (2008): 129-139.
Choi, Jungsoon. "Educating citizens in a multicultural society: The case of South Korea."
The Social Studies 101, no. 4 (2010): 174-178.