The Humanities in Schools as a Tool of the National Policy. On the Example of the Republic of Tatarstan

Mary Rumyantzeva - Head of Human Studies Section at the Lyceum, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Address: 20 Myasnitskaya Str., 101000 Moscow, Russian Federation. E-mail: mrumyantzeva@hse.ru The teaching of humanities in schools in the Republic of Tatarstan is analyzed in terms of their function of preserving and supporting civil identity. The practice of teaching and the content of educational disciplines are explored in order to find out whether pedagogical instruments, aimed at the formation of a regional identity, contribute toward the development of a common citizenship identity. Such methods as overt observation, in-depth interviews with the school administration and with teachers of humanities, as well as content analysis of textbooks on the history of Tatarstan were used. The gap between regional policy and real teaching practices was defined as the result of the study. The educational policy of the region in the field of teaching humanities is aimed at solving the tasks of national policy, including the ethnic identity formation of students. However practically the emphasis is on softening the national issue during the process of teaching these disciplines, primarily by including the history of the region in the history of the country or leveling the issue about the ethnicity of pupils.