Presence of social minorities in high school social studies textbooks in the post-democratic era in South Korea

In this study, we examined the types of social minorities represented in South Korean high school Society and Culture textbooks since the democratization of South Korea and how their portrayals have changed. Throughout the curriculum period, women were the most frequently mentioned social minority groups, whereas sexual minorities were rarely discussed. The manner in which ethnic minorities are described has changed mostly in response to multicultural changes within Korean society, and people with disabilities have usually been mentioned only at an abstract level. Since the democratization of Korea, various social minority groups have developed rights movements and have struggled for their recognition by various parts of society, however, the voices of change have not been faithfully reflected in textbooks. In response to the Korean government’s policy trends of reducing the amount of learning, the content of social minorities has decreased, and social changes have not been fully captured. This finding somewhat differs from the expectations that the inclusion of ‘social minorities’ as a topic of study in the curriculum would improve the representation of the voices of various social minorities.