ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the complex relationship between education in the humanities subjects, especially history, and the sense of national identity and belonging that permeates notions of citizenship. The chapter takes as its case studies the four countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Ukraine and the specific conflicts in which these countries have become embroiled: the annexation of Crimea and escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia culminating in the Russian invasion of 2022 and the Second Karabakh War of 2020. The chapter examines how national memory politics and education policy for the humanities interact and mutually inform one another, examining not only the educational space of the school but also extracurricular activities and the nationalization of public spaces and cultural landscapes. Drawing on concepts of national identity and patriotism shaped by Benedict Anderson, Michael Billig, Rogers Brubaker, Georgiy Kasyanov, and Sergiusz Michalski, among others, Rumyantsev examines how narratives around memory and history are manipulated to maximize a sense of duty and patriotism among the next generation. While previous studies have focused on the role of educational media in such pursuits, this chapter takes a step further with biographical interviews of school leavers once they have spent some time away from the institution of the school to analyze the medium- and long-term effectiveness of such strategies.
