Shining light into dark shadows of violence and learned helplessness

Peace education in South Korean schools

Bibliographic Data

ID12876002
AuthorsSoon-Jung Kwon (0000-0003-2001-5106, Seoul National University of Education), David I Walker (0000-0003-3676-9703, Northumbria University, corresponding author), Kristján Kristjánsson (0000-0002-8584-4178, University of Birmingham)
Year2017
Volume15
Issue1
Pages24-47
Publication date2017-09-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Peace Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-0201 • E-ISSN: 1740-021X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17400201.2017.1373252
OpenAlexW2754579995
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited28

The paper illustrates how a culture of violence is perpetuated and reproduced in South Korea through schooling and argues that peace education could help transform a culture of violence to a culture of peace. Critical ethnographic methods and a framework of peace education were applied to a sample of secondary schools in South Korea to argue that a disturbing culture of violence and learned helplessness were present; this comprises themes of direct and indirect violence through iljin (a group of students who are considered key perpetrators of school violence); a colonized false ideology and resistance to social justice. More positively, findings are also used to generate possibilities for pedagogical change based on peace education – an approach that proves useful both as an analytical frame for examining peace-violence relations in education and society and as an essential pedagogy for progressing towards peace in South Korean schools

Criminology · Learned helplessness · Peace Education · Pedagogy · School violence · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Peace and Human Rights Education · Psychology · Social Psychology