The paper discusses value conflicts inherent in Danish interpretations of the concept of Bildung, particularly regarding the clash between nostalgic national and universal enlightenment ideals. The Danish Folk high school songbook will serve as an illustration. The idea of Bildung is ambiguous, pointing in several political and ideological directions, such as conservatism, liberalism, and left-wing ideologies. Consequently, researchers and school people are fighting over definitions of Bildung. One discussion concerns in what degree schools should promote national values. Historically, there has been a clash between national values and universal enlightenment ideals of being human (Herder, 2004). Heller (2019) describes this as the European Paradox: a central European ideal is “the enlightened universal man”, but on the other hand, the nation-state is the norm setter for values linked to the nation (Heller 2019). I will argue that the folk high school songbook is a pertinent example of this paradox. The Danish theologian, poet, and educational thinker N.F.S. Grundtvig (1783-1872) was the main inspiration for the Danish phenomenon 'the folk high school' ('Folkehøjskole'. Grundtvig advocated a poetic historical pedagogy, appealing to the sensuality and enlightened spirit of the people (Grundtvig, 1983; Korsgaard, 2004; Wieser, 2022). As Hannah Arendt reminds us: "the mother tongue is the only thing you can take with you from the old country" (cited in Cassin, 2016, p. 45). Especially poems and songs written in the national language have a significant impact on a person's identity. Poems express the mother tongue in a very nuanced way which might be difficult for a foreigner to understand. In this sense, poems and songs written in the mother tongue develop the feeling of belonging to a people. The songbook still plays a significant role, not only in the folk high school, but in most educational institutions and communities in Denmark. The songbook is one of the cornerstones in upholding Grundtvig's ideal of public ('folkelig') Bildung. Singing together is a sensual, emotional practice of Bildung. Following Grundtvig, I will argue that the Bildung ideal of the Danish folk high school refers to ideals of enlightenment and nostalgia. Nostalgia is represented by the national song treasure, which forms part of the songbook. Enlightenment is represented by Danish and international songs addressing freedom of spirit and global citizenship. The clash might illustrate that the Danish high school is a genuinely democratic institution because it can accommodate nationality, universality, and political diversity at the same time.

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