Unraveling Assumed Similarities: North Korean Defector Students’ Navigation of Social Capital and Habitus in South Korean Education

Abstract

This study examines North Korean defector students’ experiences navigating social and cultural norms and expectations within South Korea’s educational systems and institutions. North Korean defectors often strive to acquire and perform cultural capital and establish valid habitus in the new context, which can lead to feelings of alienation, exclusion, and discrimination. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital and habitus, we analyze how these norms and hierarchies are maintained and reproduced, particularly within the context of assumed cultural and linguistic homogeneity between North and South Korea. We employ critical discourse analysis (CDA), recognizing discourse as a social and socially influenced process that shapes both individual experience and societal power dynamics. The findings suggest that North Korean defectors navigate their habitus and establish new cultural capital due to significant differences between North and South Korean cultures. This suggestion challenges dominant narratives in South Korean curricula that emphasize shared language and culture as a common ground for understanding and connection.