Gutek Chapters 7 and 9

      Gutek discusses the idea of a nation-state and how nation-states utilize education to construct and maintain a national identity. The impact of the use of education as a nation-building force is a hot topic of debate, because it can be used as a destructive force that threatens world peace and security if the motives of the people in charge of the government are not honorable. However, education in nation states can foster shared ideals, patriotism and unity. In France for example, le Marseillaise (the national anthem), the three-colored flag, and the enforcement of French as the national language are designed to bring people together behind a common identity. However, this process can cause strife, such as when educators physically and verbally abuse children for speaking in dialects or other languages. Also, a law that was passed in 2004 banning the wearing of religious symbols in state schools has caused emotions to flare on both sides over whether Muslim women should be allowed to wear the traditional veil to cover their neck and hair. Muslims say that it is against their creed for women to go without it, and the French government says that it violates one of the pillars of their constitution, the idea of separation of church and state. So, we can see how education in nation-states is controlled by the government and how this can lead to some arguably skewed or unfair institutions.