Civic education complete with patriotic education

Dr. Zdenko Kodelja

Summary:  One of the changes in Slovenian schools introduced by the previous government was the renaming of the former school subject »civic education and ethics« to »civic and patriotic education and ethics«. But this change is not only a terminological one; it is conceptual as well. The key question which arises here is whether or not civic and patriotic education can be combined in a coherent concept of civic and patriotic education, and if so, whether any concept of patriotic education is acceptable for a modern pluralistic society and liberal democracy, or if only some are. It seems that patriotic education that is based on patriotism and understood in a very similar sense as nationalism is not acceptable, whereas patriotic education which is based on such forms of patriotism as »constitutional patriotism«, »republican patriotism« and »cosmopolitan patriotism« is acceptable.