TARİH EĞİTİMİ VE VATANSEVERLİK ÜZERİNE BAZI DÜŞÜNCELER

Abstract

This study deals with the relationship between history education and patriotism with different perspectives from local and foreign literature. Within this framework, ideas regarding patriotism in history education were handled in some respects. Additionally, how patriotism in history education has been changed over time in terms of Turkish national history was examined. At first, the attitude of an individual towards his/her country developmentally occurs in the period of the egocentrism that is based on the physical environment, then the socio-centric period and late adolescence period related with the development of objective view. Besides, patriotism has both affective and cognitive dimension. The nineteenth century holds an important place in shaping the attitude of an individual towards his/her country with the concept of patriotism. Hence, in the nineteenth century, with the development of national states, one of the main objectives of the national educations which controlled totally by the state was to inculcate the values like patriotism to younger generations. History education for younger generations has become an important educational area to inculcate patriotism. On the other hand, patriotism is not idealized in the same way for each country. In this context, it can be said in general sense that different meanings to patriotism which means love of individual for his/her country were assigned. Thus, homeland and patriotism can be identified with the region in which national language spoken and political sovereignty exists, king or dynasty which assumes real representation of the country, political system, political institutions of the country and the country symbols. These different meanings for homeland and patriotism impressed history education and patriotism too. Educational, national and humanistic ideals and forms of governments keep an important place in these differences. Recently in the US, evaluating history education and patriotism in the light of Americanism, multiculturalism, citizenship and September 11th attacks is such a case. Then again in the Europe, there is a changing orientation in history education from homeland of nations to common European culture. As a result it can be said that patriotism in history education varies from country to country. Another important issue in terms of history education and patriotism is humanistic ideal and history methodology. In this context, general of the arguments from past to present are that patriotism in history education should be peaceful and not to inculcate hostility to other nations. As for history methodology, it is specified in the related literature that patriotism should not conflicted with scientific methodology. From the perspective of Turkish national history, in the nineteenth century, citizenship identity which developed with the edicts of Tanzimat and Islahat, in other words Ottomanism, influenced history textbooks. Policies of Islamism and Ottomanism which support Islamism has been dominated in the era of Sultan Abdülhamit II. Textbooks in aforesaid era were based on the dynasty and religion. In this era, school maps showing the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire became one of the main educational tool to inculcate patriotism. As to Second Constitutional Era, because of its patriotic structure, history education was also patriotic form. In this era, views on which put forward history education and patriotism were aspects of national, humanistic ideal and history methodology. It was expressed the ideas like history education should promote patriotism in term of national ideal; history education and patriotism should promote peace in term of humanistic ideal; and history education and patriotism should not be contrary to history methodology. With the Modern Turkish Republic, history education and patriotism was based on new values which include the new regime, country's certain borders, national history and culture. However, after 1930, loyalty for homeland differentiated in emphasis of certain historical periods. After World War II, works of international organizations have brought peaceful patriotism and democratic citizenship to history education in Turkey as well as in the world. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]