Nationalism and Multiculturalism

The debate over nationalism and multiculturalism is just as heated as religion in education. To say that one view is grounded in unbiased research and theory is impossible. Research studies contain the bias of the individual group completing the study. Let's try to remove the bias and discuss the issues based on the definition of the two terms and the implications to our country.

The terms are defined in dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks and other literature. For the sake of consistency, refer to the terms as defined at http://www.wordiq.com/ as the following:


“Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. According to the theory of nationalism, the preservation of identity features, the independence in all subjects, the well being, and the glory of one's own nation are fundamental values."

“Multiculturalism or cultural pluralism is a policy, ideal, or reality that emphasizes the unique characteristics of different cultures in the world, especially as they relate to one another in immigrant receiving nations.”


In the text (Spring, 2008), Spring is up-front in stating that “The themes are my interpretative perspective.” Each individual will interpret the events in history as he/she see and understand it. The reasoning for teaching history is to provide a historical account of the events of the past that has brought us to this point in time. To color history with hatred and bias provides a division within our country and within our various cultural groups. I can not change the events of the past but I can take the time to learn about them and not repeat them.

In reading the texts and articles for this course, I find my opinion to be difficult to express without referencing to my own experiences as a teacher. I have been blessed to work in high schools at both ends of the spectrum. I began my teaching career at a majority Minority, low-income, overcrowded school in a poor school district. I currently teach at a majority Caucasian, middle to upper income school at below capacity in a wealthy school district. The difference in the students is not the standard curriculum but the baggage brought into the school from the adult role models in the students' lives and the history presented to each and every one of the children.

The United States of America was founded by people of various cultures attempting to escape persecution. Within this new country each was provided the opportunity to live with a common law protecting the freedoms of the individual as one of the members of our country. The rights of individual Americans were and still are protected by the United States Constitution. I believe this to be nationalism with the understanding that we are a united people. We stand together in the love our country and people. If you every doubt this, remember that ethnicity and culture did not divide our people as we watched the towers fall on September 11th or as we sent our soldiers to war following that fateful day. We fly the American Flag and we create signs that say “We Support Our Troops.” These signs refer to every man and woman serving our country, not with respect to cultural background.

I feel it is necessary for children to be aware and knowledgeable about their individual heritage or culture. In lessons, I encourage students to speak with parents and grandparents when investigating events in history. When the discussion resumes in class, every child has a view to bring to the discussion. The view may be by class, religion, race or even region of the country. In some cases, the view may be by various countries. I find this to be multiculturalism. Discussions in a multiculturalism format are possible if the foundations of respect, compassion and understanding are in place. The discussion of assassinations should include both John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The importance of the events should include both national and cultural impacts of the events. The discussion of the Civil War and Civil Rights should be given equal weight as well. The impact of these two events influenced both the nation and the various cultures of America. All views should be considered and recognized in order for students analyze the event as well as its impact. Is this not teaching them to learn from the past in an attempt to not repeat it?

As a parent, I feel it is my responsibility to teach my children about our culture and our family’s history. I remember listening to my grandparents and great-grandparents telling stories about war and the Great Depression. We have looked at the family Bible and at family photos for hours. The lives lived by our previous generations can not be fully understood in any book written by someone who did not experience life as our family elders did. I teach my daughter to live as I was taught as a child. I pass down stories as we garden, can/pickle and quilt just as my grandmother did with me. I tell the stories my grandmother told me and I add the stories of my mother. This is her history. It is the history that has stories that date back more than a century. With it, my family and my husband’s family have compiled books which tell the stories and the history of the families in a more formal arrangement. These stories do not include life in New England or the life of a slave owner. Instead they tell of a poor Tennessee farming family and how they arrived here. They tell of the men that went to various wars and of a Baptist Preacher that died in 1982 with his 14 children and their families gathered at his bedside. That was my great-grandfather at 84 years old. He died shortly after bringing in his sweet potato crop that year. My culture is that of a Tennessee Baptist farming family of both Irish and German origins. Can a generic cultural textbook provide my children with this information? Does it create a greater divide in the cultures? Or by including bias, does it teach my child about hatred and division that is something not included in my belief and values?

The adults in this country determine the direction our children go. We lay the path and the understanding of the past. If we are to maintain the original design of this country, we will have to change how and what we teach our children about the past. Consider Wold History. Do we quickly discuss Hitler and continue to the next topic? Or do we ask a Holocaust survivor to speak to our children in an effort to help them understand what Hitler's activites did to people because of their differences? I believe we should teach history as important events in the evolution of our country. I also believe that influencial events should be examined as to its impact on the various cultures of a community, a country or the world.