Patriotic and Nationalist Orientations in the Civic Education: The Case of Latvia

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Abstract

Patriotism and nationalism are two related but distinct forms of national attachment. Within both concepts, the academic literature distinguishes varieties based on universal human values, democratic and republican governance principles, and critical evaluation of the elite in power versus national attachment that stresses superiority over other nations and uncritical loyalty to one's country. This paper differentiates patriotism as a form of national attachment primarily oriented to loyalty to the state, whereas nationalism - loyalty to a nation. This theoretical framework allows us to address the research problem of relations between civic education and ethnonationalism in Latvia. The paper answers two research questions - to what extent is the content of Latvian civic education at the secondary education level patriotically or nationalistically oriented? What micro, meso, and macro-level factors determine the patriotic or nationalist orientation of the civic education content in Latvia? To answer the research question, the authors conduct in-depth interviews with history and social sciences and Latvian literature teachers in Latvia from October 2023 till February 2024. The empirical part of the study will consist of a thematic analysis of teacher interview transcripts. The preliminary findings of the study suggest that the formation of a national identity based on democratic values is insufficiently realized and implemented in Latvian schools.

Author

• Ieva Bērziņa, National Defence Academy of Latvia; Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences