The case of the Chingford skinhead: John White on education and special obligations between fellow nationals

This article questions whether it is legitimate to propagate national senti ment and foster ties of nationality through school curricula. Against certa in arguments for the ethical significance of nationality I question whether those who share a national identity have special moral obligations to memb ers of their national group that they do not have to other persons. I argue that such ties of sentiment are unnecessary for achieving principled liber al goals, and that education within a liberal democracy should focus direct ly upon certain general moral principles, such as fairness, justice, and to leration. The recent Advisory Group on Citizenship's Education for Citizens hip and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools (1998) similarly endorses, I a rgue, education focused upon general moral principles.