Securitisation in citizenship education in Poland: Critical analysis of the discourses linked with the changes in core curricula following the Russo-Ukrainian War

Abstract

Highlights:

• After the Russo-Ukrainian War, Poland introduced defence education in its school curriculum.
• The introduction of defence education was prompted by the threat arising from the war in Ukraine.
• A critical analysis of the discourse linked with the change reveals its hidden political dimension.
• The removal of topics from health education due to this change was mitigated by securitising actors’ discourse.
• Securitising actors apply ‘ministrysplaining’ changes to the audience.

Purpose: The research aimed to critically analyse the changes that have occurred in the core curricula of general education in Poland following the Russo–Ukrainian war from the perspective of the securitisation process.

Methodology: The research involved analysing 366 texts spanning various genres. These texts were produced by both securitising actors and recipients of the change. The research employed content analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, following the approaches of Ruth Wodak and Martin Reisigl.

Findings: The research revealed that the securitising actors advocating for changes in the core curricula have been identified as a threat directly linked to the war in Ukraine. However, the discourse surrounding these changes also exhibited several features that indicate a hidden political dimension. Further, the analysis emphasised the use of ‘ministryplaining’ towards the audience involved in education, who formulate critical remarks.