Korean Wave as Symbolic Capital: A Case Study of Learning Korean Language out of Class in China

A bulk of literature on foreign language education have revealed the interconnection between identity and language learning. However, the existent studies seem to draw on the English learning experiences as monolingual orientation. Adopting the concept of language investment (Darvin & Norton, 2015), this study examines how a cohort of Chinese university students mobilize their resources to learn Korean language out of class and how learning Korean language shapes their identities and educational and employment trajectories. The study can provide some insights on the valorization of multilingual education in a wider process of China’s integrating into the world system and the rise of Korean Wave as global culture