Rethinking Koreanness in Heritage Language Education: The Case of Korean Heritage Schools in Toronto

This study investigates how stakeholders understand and negotiate Koreanness the context of Heritage Language (HL) education. Using ethnographic data from Korean language teachers, parents, and students, we analyze how different actors frame and implement cultural elements in the curriculum. Our findings reveal competing institutional perspectives on the role of culture in heritage language education: while the Korean government frames it as a tool for strengthening nationalism and cultural ties, the church envisions it as a means of promoting evangelical Christian beliefs and maintaining ethnic community cohesion. Volunteer teachers leveraged cultural content to engage students in the class, and yet students’ reactions were mixed. We argue that current HL education policies and practices often reflect static, museum-like presentations of culture that fail to address the complex lived experiences of immigrant students. This study calls for a process-oriented approach to culture that recognize the fluid, hybrid nature of cultural identity in contemporary immigrant communities.