Authors

Jonna Alava¹;  ¹ University of Helsinki, Finland

Discussion

Russia's already massive system of patriotic education has increased its volume with various initiatives, the militaristic and nationalist content of which is used to seek support and justification for the continuation of the war. Attempts to control youth’s behaviour must be understood as a reaction to a prolonged war, that revealed gaps in domestic patriotic education. The concept of patriotism is changing from abstract "love for the Motherland" to readiness to take up arms. The inclusion of the youth military organization Yunarmy in the enormous new organization "Big Break" suggests that the previous division into patriotic and military-patriotic education is becoming blurred. The hegemonic discourses supporting the war are largely based on the concept of military masculinity, the far-reaching effects of which are a special focus of this feminist study. Belligerent propaganda in schools has aroused resistance, which, despite the difficult operating environment, has also achieved some of its goals. Teachers and parents, mainly women, use a gendered discourse as a tactic to fight the dominance of the elite. Finally, it seems that disorganized mobilization has put patriotic education to the test, as many of the previous supporters of the patriotic ideology have lost their faith in the values of education.