Feelings of (Not) Belonging: Everyday Nationalism and Emotions in Lithuanian Public High Schools

The role of schooling in (re)producing nation-states and nationalism is a well-established concept in sociological literature. Universal and centralized education, particularly through mandatory schooling, has been shown to foster common narratives, symbols, and imagery essential for imagining the national community. Extensive research has illuminated how structural aspects of education—such as state and school policies, curricula, and textbooks—contribute to constructing and reproducing national identity. However, schools are not only where students learn truths about their nations and “others”. Students also experience emotions related to this knowledge and patriotic/nationalistic activities and interactions. Still, significantly less attention has been given to how nationalism is shaped and reproduced through everyday practices, interactions, and emotional responses within the school environment.

This paper presents preliminary insights from my ongoing doctoral research, which employs multisited ethnography to explore the affective dimensions of everyday nationalism in Lithuanian schools. Drawing from theoretical frameworks of everyday nationalism and affective nationalism, I investigate how emotions and affective experiences rising from everyday practices in schools contribute to internalizing a sense of (not)belonging among ethnic minority students. Through participant observation, interviews, in different school settings, my research sheds light on how everyday interactions in educational institutions subtly but powerfully reinforce or challenge national and ethnic identity. The early findings suggest that the emotional landscape of schools, including feelings of inclusion, exclusion, and belonging, plays a crucial role in shaping both the students' national identity and their broader social integration. These insights have significant implications for understanding the affective dimensions of nationalism and the role of education in shaping both individual and collective identities in multicultural settings.