Civic virtue out of necessity Patriotism and democratic education

Should patriotism be considered a legitimate part of schooling in a democracy? This question has been contested in the scholarly literature as well as by policy-makers for decades. Terrorism and conflict exacerbate this debate by adding a sense of urgency to both the demand to love thy country and the concern for individual freedom. In this article I suggest that the social circumstances of conflict substantiate the claim for teaching patriotism in schools, while maintaining a strong commitment to their democratic educational mission. While patriotism should be regarded as a civic rather than a moral virtue, its contribution to solidarity and to endurance in wartime warrants the attention of educators, scholars and education policy-makers. The implementation of patriotic teaching should thus be incorporated into the broader democratic vision which public schools should endorse and with which they should engage the next generation of citizens.