Chapter 4: National Identities, Global Ideals: Citizenship Discourses in the Dominican National Curriculum

Against the backdrop of ongoing debates about the citizenship of people of Haitian descent, the Ministry of Education in the Dominican Republic released their latest revisions to the national curriculum. What does this curriculum have to say about citizenship and nationality? How does the curriculum support and value minorities, especially Dominican-born Haitians and immigrants from Haiti? The question is important as narrow definitions of citizenship meet up against international ideals of tolerance and the fundamental human right to an education. It is of further importance for the Dominican Republic, a country that faces international pressure to strengthen its education and reduce anti-immigrant rhetoric. Dominican identity is contested, challenged not only by the influx of migrants from Haiti but also the island’s complex racial, ethnic, and colonial history. Using critical discourse analysis, this chapter analyzes the latest national curriculum to argue that educational policy in the Dominican Republic furthers restrictive notions of cultural identity while also striving for more expansive definitions of citizenship. These twin agendas reflect the realities of domestic politics interacting with the hope offered by the ideals of the international education culture.