Migrant mothers’ heritage language education in South Korea: complex and agentive navigation of capital and language ideologies

Abstract

Abstract Heritage language (HL) learning has been known as essential to transmission of cultural values, familial and social bonds, and children’s potential academic and professional advancement. Nevertheless, social pressures of linguistic assimilation have made HL education difficult for many migrant families across the globe. HL transmission to younger generations is particularly challenging in damunhwa [multiculture] families in South Korea since the ethnolinguistic minority women from developing countries are pressured to acquire Korean rapidly and use Korean only with their children for faster integration to the mainstream society and to avoid discrimination in this traditionally homogenous country. Our qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews of 9 migrant mothers with various geographical, socioeconomic, and education backgrounds reveals that they exerted their agency in navigating and negotiating their available capital and the constraining language ideologies to promote HL education for their children in Korean-only spaces. Our analysis also depicts the diversity and complexity in the manifestations of the migrant women’s maneuvers for HL education within their specific circumstances with multiple intersecting factors. Our findings will contribute to wider HL education research and practices as we strive to make fertile ground for HL education for all migrant families and children around the globe, especially for those who speak socially stigmatized languages.