Ewha Multicultural Institute

The Ewha Multicultural Institute, one of the research institutes affiliated with Ewha Womans University, was established in August 2008 to conduct research and activities that help to build a healthy multicultural society in Korea by recognizing "glocal" cultural diversity in the multicultural society of the 21^st century and respecting the human right to be different. The institute believes that the biggest threat to Korea's multicultural society is the excessive sense of ethnic homogeneity among the Korean people, and searches for the optimal solution to alleviate this issue by studying intercultural education in Europe.

Over the past decade, the Multicultural Institute has dedicated significant efforts toward a variety of activities, including hosting numerous academic conferences, carrying out academic exchanges, publishing research series, and operating the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP). Firstly, academic conferences were held on Korean education, mostly with Chinese scholars. Recent conferences have taken on the theme of intercultural education in Europe. Secondly, academic ties have been established with educational institutions, mainly in China and the Philippines, such as Fudan University and Shanghai International Studies University in China, and the King Sejong Institute in Pasay, the Philippines. Moreover, the institute published the Ewha Multicultural Books Series from 2009 to 2013. The series contains a wide range of research findings from health and Korean language education for international marriage families to studies on North Korean dialects. Lastly, the institute has been operating a social integration program under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice. As the operating body of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) and the Program for the Early Adaptation of Immigrants, respectively designated in 2012 and 2016 by the Ministry of Justice, it has been educating immigrants about the Korean language and culture.

Since Professor Jang Han Up of the Department of French Language and Literature was appointed as the director in August 2018, the institute has widened the scope of research and other activities. In the past, its research and activities had primarily concentrated on supporting immigrants to adapt to life in Korea, whereas the current and future focus has been shifted toward improving the attitude of native Koreans toward embracing immigrants. This change is predicated on the philosophy that true social integration is achieved by the bilateral effort of both immigrants and natives, not just the unilateral effort of the former. Against this backdrop, the institute has been paying close attention to intercultural education in Europe. Examples of the institute’s interest include the intercultural dialogue, which the institute has been hosting since the second semester of 2018, and the upcoming International Conference on the Understanding and Expansion of Intercultural Education scheduled for January 2019. It organized the intercultural dialogue with a view to establishing mutual understanding between international and domestic students at Ewha. This dialogue, which was praised by the Council of Europe, provides people of different ethnicities, cultures, and languages with an opportunity to share their thoughts based on mutual understanding and respect. In the second semester of 2018, graduate students from Malaysia, Vietnam, and Kyrgyzstan gathered to discuss college life in their respective countries and student life in Korea, engaging in meaningful conversations with Korean students. Another intercultural dialogue is scheduled to take place next semester. The international academic conference for understanding and disseminating interculturalism will be held on January 18 and 19, 2019 in the Lee Sam-bong Hall of the ECC building at Ewha. President Kim Heisook of Ewha Womans University is scheduled to deliver a congratulatory address. In addition, presentations will be made by renowned scholars and experts from Korea and abroad including Michael Reiterer, the ambassador of the EU Delegation in Korea, Micheline Rey, a former professor at the University of Geneva, the intercultural education officer at the Council of Europe, Noriyuki Nishiyama, a professor at Kyoto University, Zhihong Pu, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, Park In-cheol, a professor at Kyung Hee University, Kang Kyung-Sook, a professor at Wonkwang University, Kim Young-Soon, a professor at Inha University, Kim Sang-Mu, a professor at Dongguk University, Song Tae-Hyun, a professor at Ewha Womans University, and Jang Han Up , a professor at Ewha Womans University.

The Ewha Multicultural Institute will contribute toward establishing a healthy and successful multicultural society in Korea by studying the theory and practice of European intercultural education and widely disseminating it in Korea.

Website: http://my.ewha.ac.kr/dmw/
Contact number: 02-3277-4056
Email address: damunwha@ewha.ac.kr

Ewha Multicultural Books Series

Korean language education under the Korea Immigration and Integration Program(KIIP), Ministry of Justice

Intercultural dialogue

Ewha Multicultural Institute International Conference
<Topic: The Understanding and Expansion of Intercultural Education>