culture, language and education

The role of visual education as identity and critical gaze: art as deconstruction and reconstruction
Since one’s cognition is constructed by the modern educational system, people’s way of seeing has been distorted by the European white-male-centered point of view, which is English culture; as a result, others’ identities have been exempted from the center. Indeed, we have lived constructing by seeing through others’ eyes, not seeing with our own eyes. For this reason, we have to deconstruct our notion that we have constructed by now (Derrida, 2000, Foucault, M; 1994). In particular, language in English culture is power. That is, western culture is power over others, so the other cultures are powerless.
In particular, Korean culture has faced crisis. Korean cultural values of the dominent classes, which sided with Japan have sustained their power in South Korea because of American intervention after liberation from the Japanese colony (1910~1945). In addition, after the Korean War (1950~53) American culture has become more powerful, so it came to be a symbol of a better living that all of Korean culture and people strive for.
The problem is that we lost our tradition, which was a part of our identity during the turmoil of westernization in the name of modernization. In this situation, globalization is a hegemonic game. Western culture’s dichotomy has brought more problems that are serious to art education. Learning art strongly affects students’ cognition without noticing it, because the process is so connected to cognitive perception.
Modern art has been separated from their lives. No doubt, this problem caused problems while I ran the “self-expression through art” program. Its object is to recognize our way of seeing which was distorted by the Euro-white male centered point of view. Through the process of reinterpreting art works, participants deconstruct their previous knowledge and way of thinking, and then they reconstruct their own eyes. This process is a kind of spiritual journey to see themselves, as well as things as they are and to get out from their self-centeredness.
However, people who were accustomed to conventional education tended to reject or ignore the new art basics (New Art Basics of the Iowa University), especially women who were living in the Kangnam area where the richest people live in Korea (they fear that the unconscious mind would be revealed through self-expression). This is related to the common presumption that the role of art has been firmly constructed historically and socially. Who constructed art to be difficult and special? After questioning, we can reconstruct our way of seeing and notion of art (Sturken, M. & Cartwright, L.; 2001, Rogoff, I.; 1998, Duncum, P.; 2001, Freedman, K.; 2003).
After their self-awareness that their views are self-centered and it is others’ way of seeing, they can reconstruct their own way of seeing--identity. It seems to be impossible to recover Korean people’s own way of seeing because their way of seeing has already solidified.
Identity and critical gaze (Perkins, 1994, Tavin, K, & Hausman, J., 2004) has become more important in our multicultural society and these two points are very important for educational reform. What do we have to teach for change? We have to teach the way of seeing and critical gaze, then an individual is able to see the self. This is the reason that self-expressive visual education can play a role.