This article investigates the normative logic and orientation of civic and religious education in seven countries in northern Europe. One main underlying argument is that public schooling must be generically regarded as a heavy functional contributor to the ‘soft’ normative reproduction and validation of certain ethical and cultural identities. In the article, the rhetorical goals of neutralism and tolerance in current European political–educational thought are measured against empirical modes and practices of education. A parochialism–cosmopolitanism conceptual dichotomy is constructed and used as a main analytical guide, which allows for a number of critical conclusions to be made on the production of normative statehood through education in contemporary ‘post-normative’ Europe. The ultimate ambition of the text is thus to contribute to shedding new light on the interpretation and enactment of value diversity in these seven educational settings and interculturalising societies. © The Author(s) 2014