ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

Unification education is a social discourse in which epistemological theories and practical theories are diverging and converging. Epistemological theories are to allow us to examine the causes and impacts of the division of the Korean peninsula and the ways to overcome it. Practical theories are to suggest the ways to us to intervene in the process of the unification of two Koreas. Under the changing social milieu, unification education must grow out of the dogmatism that defines unification as the imperative. Instead it is inspired to construct the meanings and values which can be shared by two Koreas and which can democratically guide the unification process. As unification education wants new paradigm, this paper intends to discuss three models of epistemological and practical theories in unification education, suggesting the viable model. The first model revolves around cultural relativism, demanding to understand the North Korean culture from their standpoint and using their cultural pattern to reflect self-critically on our own ways, for example, to oppress the diversity. The second model is grounded on universal ism and argues that cultural relativism runs the risk of approving the negative convention embedded in the North Korean culture. Nationality or human rights is provided as "universal values" by which unification process must be governed. Inasmuch as universalism conspires to define those values as the paradigmatic case of the experiences of the Koreans, it comes to dismiss the differences and diversity, establishing and justifying some form of oppression and discrimination. As an alternative, this paper opts for interactive universalism where peace regulates, not as a universal value but as a common reference point, the process of communicative interaction between two Korean societies. Thanks to communication, two Koreas are expected to construct the universalizable meanings and values by which unification process can be explored. Epistemological and practical horizon of interactive universalism promotes the convergence of peace education and unification education.

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