일본의 다문화교육의 이론과 실제 연구: 이문화교육에서 다문화공생교육으로

Abstract

In this essay, I review international education (education for international understanding) at Japanese elementary schools in a multicultural era. For this purpose, I especially explore three aspects of international education in Japan: the history of international education, various ideas of multicultural education, and international education at elementary schools. To discover the trend of international education at Japanese elementary schools in a multicultural era, I establish three topics: nationality of international education in Japanese, the discourse and issues for multiculturalism and multicultural education in the Japanese context, the present of international education Japanese elementary schools. First of all, I examine the history of international education in Japanese from 1946 to 2000s. The education for international understanding following the UNESCO models had been practiced by 1970s but from the 1980s, Japan has produced its own style of education for international understanding which has been suggesting that education for international understanding should aim to urge the Japanese people to formulate the national identity in the concept of both nation-state and the global context. Thus, they established the concurrent curriculum of international understanding based on nationalism and global education aiming to foster global citizen in Japanese international education. Second, I attempt to define the conflicts between nationalism and Post-Nationalism. In Japan, the conflicts between cultural unity and diversity have not come to the surface yet. However, Japanese ideas are mixed by the issues of Multiculturalism and the discourse of Post Nationalism came from the States, thus, consequently, the ideal concept of Japanese multiculturalism is defined as "sharing of multi-culture contexts" in now a days. Third, I describe on present of international education at Japanese elementary schools with my experience in education for international understanding. In conclusion, I believe that multicultural education should rectify the prejudices and discrimination against minorities. In this sense, Japan is positively being changed in various spectrums about minorities. However, the Japanese paradigm of education for international understanding is still confined in nationalism. Overcoming this regionalist aspect will serve as a significant factor of the progress of the Japanese education for international understanding.