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Introduction
As a concept, patriotism has been subjected to multiple interpretations, which range from quite neutral to outstandingly positive to downright negating its significance. The perception of patriotism, has become particularly complicated over the past decade due to the rise in political tensions among representatives of different countries, as well as between citizens within a single state (2006). Therefore, a nuanced discussion of the subject matter is overdue. In his book, Harry Brighouse (2006) discusses the role that schools play in shaping learners’ attitude toward patriotism, as well as fostering patriotic feelings in students. By analyzing different strategies of promoting patriotism, from fear to the reinforcement of patriotism-related values, Brighouse (2006) concludes that patriotism is an essential part of a citizen’s identity as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of other people. Although Brighouse proves with his book that an effective way of promoting patriotism in schools without introducing bias is possible, the very core of the argument, defeats the very purpose of patriotism being a crucial element of the school curriculum.
Summary
In his article, Brighouse (2006) addresses a range of issues linked to patriotism and the school curriculum, explaining what impediments educators should expect when promoting patriotic ideas in the academic setting. Brighouse starts with the analysis of how the Pledge of Allegiance is represented in the academic setting, outlining that the subject matter has been integrated into the school setting to the point where it has become a part of the routine. Afterward, Brighouse emphasizes that, on a number of occasions, the promotion of a specific political agenda has been prioritized over fostering truly patriotic feelings in students disregarding of the dominant political stance. Brighouse (2006) continues to explain that the lack of a common framework for teaching patriotism to students is another obstacle on the way to integrating it into the curriculum since different values and concepts are promoted to learners. At this point, Brighouse (2006) produces a crucial definition of a patriot that he considers to be worth applying as a standard for teaching students; namely, he posits that a patriot is someone who relates to the compatriots and has a special bond with them. Brighouse also outlines several key reasons for promoting patriotism in schools, which include obligation, solidarity, citizenship, and flourishing. Finally, Brighouse (2006) concludes that there are reasons to include patriotism into the curriculum, yet it is likely to be very difficult to build a homogenous approach for teaching students patriotism.
Reflection
Patriotism and Its Place in the Curriculum
What makes the arguments presented by Brighouse particularly valuable is his balanced, unbiased, and properly measured approach toward assessing the chances of successfully introducing patriotism into the school curriculum. Namely, Brighouse (2006) emphasizes the threats of the specified action by warning about the possible distortions of information that must be presented to learners in the course of the curriculum. For instance, Brighouse contends that teaching several subjects may be mishandled as a result of a poorly executed attempt at promoting patriotism; namely, history may be distorted particularly strongly. Brighouse (2006, p. 117) explains that history is “the discipline most commonly targeted for patriotism,” thus suggesting that the process of interpreting historical events is likely to be affected by the changes associated with the promotion of patriotism particularly strongly. Given the likely outcomes of the described phenomenon, one should credit Brighouse (2006) for warning about the possible pitfalls of mishandled attempts at building patriotism in students by incorporating it into the curriculum.
Threat of Perpetuating Myths
Another peculiar idea that Brighouse introduces is the threat of perpetuating myths to promote the development of patriotic feelings in students while ultimately skewing their understanding of specific historical events. Using the changes made to the story of Rosa Parks, who is currently often represented as an aging seamstress and not a fairly young political activist, Brighouse (2006) conveys an essential point about the dangers of historical revisionism and the resulting failure to provide the accurate portrayal of key historical facts. The specified observation begs the question of whether historical accuracy has any value compared to the powerful emotional impact that the distilled interpretation of events provides (Hawkman and Van Horn 104). However, since historical revisionism can be used for a variety of political purposes, and since people have the right to form their own opinions concerning the events in question, it is necessary to ensure that the development of myths does not cloud people’s judgment of the event in question and allow them to evaluate it on its true merits.
Personal Experience
Since the promotion of patriotism in schools has been a trend for quite a while, I can relate to the ideas and issues that Brighouse (2006) addresses in this chapter quite closely. While the process of introducing patriotism-related ideas and values into the curriculum has been handled quite decently at my school. Specifically, there has never been the sense of falsehood, pretentiousness, or a specific political agenda behind the idea expressed in relation to patriotism. However, with the change in the interpretation of specific historical events that took place in the U.S., introducing a new and more diverse point of view on certain concepts that are typically deemed as patriotic is strongly needed. For example, it would be sensible to revisit some of the political figures that have been lauded as the embodiment of patriotism and recognize the flaws in some of their judgments. Thus, the school will avoid the promotion of blind and unquestioning compliance with the set idea of patriotism, promoting instead scientific inquiry, curiosity, and critical thinking. The proposed change should not be seen as a threat to the development of patriotism in learners since patriotic feelings should not defy their ability to apply critical thinking and evaluate historical event from different perspectives.
Conclusion
By pointing out to the fact that patriotism is the task linked to the changes in students ‘emotional attitudes, and values, which need to be fostered by parents and family members as opposed to the school staff and educators, Brighouse (2006) effectively proves that teaching patriotism in the school setting is virtually impossible. However, the book also points to the multiple positive aspects of patriotism being integrated into the school curriculum., therefore, insisting that the basis for shaping students’ attitudes toward their state as citizens and their role in its political development should be included into the academic process. Overall, the chapter provides a decent overview of the effects of patriotism on crucial social changes that have occurred in the U.S., such as the Civil Rights Movement, therefore, positing that patriotism needs to be fostered in learners. However, the provided information also raises the question of how educators can address controversial issues associated with patriotism as a part of the political identity of an individual without creating premises for a conflict between an educator and a student due to likely differences in political perspectives. Therefore, the chapter sparks an essential discussion about the strategies and the language that must be deployed to discuss contentious sociopolitical issues in the school setting.
References
Brighouse, H. (2006). On education. Routledge.
Hawkman, Andrea M., and Selena E. Van Horn. “What Does It Mean to Be Patriotic? Policing Patriotism in Sports and Social Studies Education.” The Social Studies, vol. 110, no. 3, 2019, pp. 105-121.
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