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PhD The Swedish school system's construction
of the province
( Skolans konstruktion av landskap) Published in swedish in: Bebyggelsehistorisk tidskrift 38 (1999), s. 107-124. The webversion of the article is published in portions:
©
Benny Jacobsson. Quote from the printed version (Summary
on page 124), or cite: The Swedish school system's construction of the province By Benny Jacobsson Summary One can ask the same question of a region as of a nation. It is a very
old, natural phenomenon, or is it a more recent, constructed
conception? There is a great deal which speaks in favour
of the latter. This article contains a critical study
of the conceptions of the province as a regional unit
as it existed in the teaching in schools in In the geography books the historical provinces and the administrative
counties ("län") fought a prolonged battle
for first place of interest. It was first from the 1880's
and onwards that the province became the general base
unit, and more so in the elementary schools for which
province geographies began to appear around the year
1890. The reading-books from Folkskolans Läsebok (Reading-book
for the elementary school) in 1868 to The wonderful adventures of Nils from 1906-07 also treated Three themes recur in both the geography books and the reading books. Nature is a basic theme. The province is always beautiful and varying. Historical monuments linked with the province are treated. The provincial character and notions and conceptions of the characteristics of the people of the province were common. These characteristics were linked, in the manner of Montesquieu, whether the Nature of the province consisted of flat country, forests, or hills and mountains. Through these themes a conception of the province and the identity of its inhabitants was constructed. In contrast to national identity constructions this province construction was not so much in relation to the "others" in an adjacent province, but more in relation to the nature. Recognition of the regional dimension did, however, stop at the dialects, and from the 1890's attempts were made to eradicate provincial dialects in favour of a national or standard Swedish in the elementary schools. This duality in the treatment of the provinces can be explained by the nationalistic role of the school system. The regional dimensions in geography books and reading-books were not in conflict with this and it was assumed that they strengthened and enriched the nation with their variation. But when it came to the language it was quite the reverse. A pure, clear and standard language was assumed to strengthen the feeling of sense of nationality. More on my research on regional identities.
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