Civic nationalism as democratic mediation: Reinterpreting Indonesia’s civic education mandate through Deweyan progressivism

Abstract

Civic education in Indonesia is mandated by Law No. 20 of 2003 to form both “democratic and responsible citizens” (Article 3) and citizens with “a sense of nationality and love of the homeland” (Elucidation of Article 37, paragraph 1). This article examines the normative coherence between these two mandates, arguing that civic education must not only build national identity but also cultivate citizens capable of reasoning, dialogue, participation, and responsibility within democratic life. Adopting a qualitative-philosophical approach that combines philosophical hermeneutics, ontological, epistemological, and axiological analysis, and immanent critique informed by John Dewey’s progressivism, the study identifies three loci of tension: a teleological tension between democratic citizenship and affective national orientation; an epistemic-pedagogical tension between inquiry, student agency, and value internalisation; and an axiological tension among democracy, human rights, pluralism, and nationality. Building on these findings, the article formulates anti-indoctrination criteria comprising public reason, fallibilism, student agency, deliberative dialogue, and argument-based evaluation. It contributes to the literature by reconstructing national consciousness and love of the homeland as a form of reflective civic nationalism – one that remains compatible with democracy, openness to criticism, and public responsibility.