How is culture represented in textbooks? – “marriage” in Korean language textbooks used in English-speaking countries

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the text and images of marriage culture in Korean textbooks used in English-speaking countries to reveal the underlying social values, beliefs and ideology. I will analyse what Korean textbooks select as a “traditional and formal marriage” culture, how they describe it (who is being highlighted or excluded), and whose viewpoint is represented. According to the analysis, Korean textbooks’ marriage culture involved the “Confucian patriarchal ideology” centred on male adults, which is one of Korea’s major ideologies, and the “romantic love ideology” to conceal the fact that modern materialism has a stronger influence on marriage than love. This tendency is still marked by patriarchal ideology, and often a patriarchal ideology appears with a romantic love ideology. Through these ideologies, textbooks describe the values of happiness and successful marriage; however, this paper discovered the other side of marriage, where women, poorer and less advantaged people are alienated and materialism is valued.

Keywords

• textbook analysis
• korean education
• marriage
• ideology
• culture
• culture education
• language