Fieldwork

I have been delving deeper into the independent fieldwork project as the departure date grows closer. My primary focus has been to narrow the scope of research: to do "more with less." This will hopefully aid in avoiding lulls or becoming overwhelmed during the four months of fieldwork.

My IFP examines the relationship of nationalism and education. Within school systems, there are certain beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are placed above others, intentionally or unintentionally, which reinforce that country's cultures and political ideologies. The classroom fosters a national character that children identify themselves with from a very young age. Imparting a sense of national pride to children is a major priority in politics. Moreover, national consciousness is often most pursued in younger nation states that do not have as much history to build on or pedagogic leeway.

My research is thus two-fold. The first is examining how Indians define themselves on a national level such as what qualities and aspects of their history they most identify with. I will also observe how they compare themselves with Britain and Pakistan. The other facet is determining how this nationalism is communicated through education: textbooks, teachers, emphasis on particular values, etc. This is a project concerned with national hegemony and how education fits into that hegemonic apparatus. India's rich historical landscape will be used to survey how culture, beliefs, and attitudes toward Pakistan has been taught in schools. Perhaps this may yield a better understanding of why some of India's most prevalent issues, such as communal violence, persist.