Internationalisation of higher education and teacher education has been a key issue since the 1990s and many universities still attempt to increase student mobility ever since. Much research has been done on the topic of internationalisation and higher education, including teacher education trying to show how a certain programme impacts on students’ learning, especially intercultural learning when it comes to programmes in teacher education. These studies are often directed towards programmes that last several months or a whole year. The focus of this study is rather to explore if and in what way experiences in a two-week field study can contribute to a student teacher’s intercultural learning and professional development. The findings of the research show that even a short field study has an important impact on the individual student teacher’s understanding of themselves and on awareness of teachers’ living and working conditions in a different culture like South Africa.

Sweden has long been described as a beacon of multiculturalism and generous access to citizenship, with integration policies that seek to offer free and equal access to the welfare state. In this article, we use the policy of Civic Orientation for Newly Arrived Migrants as a case with which to understand how migrants’ inclusion is discursively articulated and constructed by the different constituencies involved in interpreting the policy and organising and teaching the course. We do this by employing Foucault’s closely interrelated concepts of technology of self, political technology of individuals, and governmentality. With the help of critical discourse analysis, we illustrate how migrants’ inclusion is framed around an opposition between an idealised “good citizen” and a “target population” (Schneider & Ingram, 1993). In our analysis, we draw on individual interviews with 14 people involved in organising civic orientation and on classroom observations of six civic orientation courses. Firstly, we show how migrants are constructed as unknowing and in need of being fostered by the state. Secondly, we illustrate how social inclusion is presented as being dependent upon labour market participation, both in terms of finding work and in terms of behaving correctly in the workplace. Lastly, we show how migrant women are constructed as being problematically chained to the home and therefore needing to subject themselves to a specific political technology of self to be included.

This article contributes to ongoing discussions in the social sciences about how to interpret the incorporation of gender equality into integration policies–is it a form of state feminism or femonationalism? Drawing upon intersectionality, we analyse how gender equality is presented, discussed and negotiated in relation to ethnicity and nationality in Sweden. Methodologically, we employ a bifocal lens that combines (1) a quantitative investigation of representations of civic orientation programmes in Swedish policy documents and mainstream media, and (2) a qualitative analysis of ethnographic data collected in six civic orientation courses–three in English and three in Arabic–in three large municipalities. Such a two-pronged approach, which connects policy and media discourses with interactions in civic orientation classes, offers a granular picture of the complex and often ambivalent intersections of ethnicity and gender in relation to migration in Sweden. Ultimately, the co-optation of feminist values brings with it the risk of warping feminism into a trait of national/ethnic distinctiveness. Crucially, femonationalism is not the prerogative of far-right parties but is already becoming institutionalised, informing both mainstream media and educational practices in a feminist state like Sweden

The aim of this article is to use courses in civic orientation for newly arrivedadult migrants in Sweden as the empirical entry point from which toinvestigate whether, and if so, how, civic values are tied to the Swedish nationthrough specific discourses and narratives. With the help of a frameworkthat brings together theorisations of the discursive construction of thenation with the notions of the chronotope and ‘social narratives’, the articledemonstrates how narratives within civic orientation are characterised byspecific spatio-temporal moves that discursively construct Sweden as anation-state. Such national chronotopes are not innocuous but are part of arhetoric of nationalism that constructs a linear and comprehensive story ofprosperity and superiority, not least vis-à-vis some other geographical areasin the world. As such, the analysis seeks to contribute to the burgeoningscholarship on civic orientation programmes by offering further empiricalevidence of the shapes such programmes take, and how civic values becomenationalised. With the help of the notion of the chronotope, the article alsoseeks to add some fresh perspectives to scholarship on nationalism andothering by showing mundane spatio-temporal moves in the production of a‘national imaginary’ (Calhoun 2017).

Book abstract:

In this volume, questions are addressed revolving around religious literacy and education. The term religious literacy is explored as the ability to discern and analyze intersections of religion with social, political, and cultural life in pluralistic societies. Questions about what types of religious literacies are possible in a non-confessional, and even secular, educational context are in focus. It delves into the intricate relationship between religious literacy, religious education in the Nordic countries, and the development of subject knowledge and generic abilities. The Nordic countries, as modern secular welfare states with shared characteristics, provide an intriguing framework for comparison. The exploration of variations in the organization, content, and goals of religious education in Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden sheds light on the process of shaping educational content within specific historical and societal contexts and the anthology broadens its scope by incorporating global perspectives from the Indian, Italian, and Indonesian contexts.

The volume features contributions from 18 researchers who explore empirical, methodological, and theoretical aspects of religious literacy and education. The concept of religious literacy, encompassing both knowledge and generic skills, proves to be indispensable for navigating the diverse religious and non-religious worldviews present in pluralistic societies.

Tailored for students, educators, education researchers, and policymakers, this anthology contributes to the ongoing discourse on religious literacy. It not only provides valuable insights into the Nordic educational landscape but also fosters a global dialogue on the crucial role of education in understanding diverse worldviews.

Writing or revising a curriculum is often an extremely complex and contradictory process (Young & Diem 2014) and can be viewed as a discursive battlefield (e.g. Ball 1991, Levinson et al 2009, Ozga 2000, Taylor et al 1997). Furthermore, educational policies can be seen as complex, ongoing social practices of normative cultural production constituted by diverse actors/stakeholders across diverse contexts (Taylor 2004) and thus interesting to analyse, especially in "globalizing and new times" (Ball, Goodson & Maguire 2007). Despite the discourses of globalization we also experience worldwide a tightening of control on students, educators, administrators, and the schooling process in general through national-level educational policies (Young & Diem 2014). There are interesting tensions to pay attention to between the local and global. This paper outlines various constructions of the pupil/the future citizen and discursive tensions with a particular focus on the latest curriculum in Sweden, Lgr11, Curriculum for the compulsory school, preschool class and the recreation centre, Läroplan för grundskolan, föreskoleklass och fritidshemmet 2011). We have been particularly interested in issues such as: How is the 'right' citizen presented and depicted and what values are highlighted – at both national and global level? Whose history is made visible and what voices are heard? What groups or categories are identified? In order to get a comparative perspective, we have asked the same questions to the previous curriculum, Lpo94, Curriculum for the Compulsory School System, the Pre-School Class and the Leisure-time Centre.Theoretically our contribution primarily is informed by the discourse analytical research field (e.g. Ball 1991; Taylor, 1997; Taylor et al., 1997) and notably by critical discourse analysis (see Fairclough, 1992, 2003; Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999). Critical discourse analysis examines how texts construct representations of the world and there is an emphasis on highlighting how practices and texts are ideologically shaped by relations of power. Tensions between different conceptions and positionings concern what counts as valuable knowledge also related to the local and global context, which is emphasised in our study.

Educational policies for education are important as they form the basis for educational practices and regulate the knowledge production within different subjects. In our interdisciplinary research we critically analyse processes of curriculum work during the curriculum revision process (2010-2011) for the social science subjects in the later years of mandatory schooling in Sweden. Questions are raisedon whose history is made visible and what voices are heard. Furthermore what borders/boundaries can be discerned? The research is part of the larger transnational project Future citizens in pedagogical texts and education policies - Examples from Lebanon, Sweden and Turkey with the aim of examining how globalization processes are expressed in educational policies and pedagogical texts.Swedish educational documents, curricula and interviews with subject matter experts and educational bureaucrats form the empirical data for this contribution. The analyses show that a discursive battle between different actors and perspectives took place. The subject matter experts wanted a more inclusive and global understanding, especially the subject experts in geography articulated a worldwide perspective: "We wrote the world", while the Minister of Education and his expert proposed a stronger Nordic and even a nationalistic perspective from a Swedish point of view. The pupils should learn places and rivers in Sweden, the Swedish regions and Scandinavia. The Minister of Education and his expert also made changes in the syllabi manuscripts, thus discarding the geography subject matter experts' views. As a result, a Nordic perspective and a strong marking of national borders took place in the curriculum. Although this discussion is not about the actual citizenship perse, can the final decisions for the text in the curriculum in various ways contribute to boundaries/borders. This way of argumentation can be seen as leading to an exclusion and "othering"within a nation. In Sweden today 21 percent of the pupils in compulsory school officially are classifiedas having a "foreign background"; meaning the students themselves are born abroad by foreign parents or both parents were born abroad. Here there are many questions to ask/discuss in terms ofconsequences for various groups and inclusion/exclusion and belonging.

Writing or revising a curriculum is often anadvanced process as education can be viewed as adiscursive battlefield. Furthermore, educational policies are often seen as complex, ongoing social practices of normative cultural production constituted by diverse actors/stakeholders across diverse contexts and thus interesting to analyse,especially in 'the age of globalization'. This paper outlines perspectives on the policy process taking place in order to revise the Swedish National Curriculum, now known as Lgr 11.

This article employs the notions of citizenship as status, habitus and acts as a framework through which to capture how sovereign power, disciplinary power and biopower intersect in the context of Sweden’s current management of migration. Through an analysis of policy and media debates, the article first illustrates how citizenship as status and sovereign power in Sweden have undergone a shift from actively endorsing multilingualism and cultural dialogue to requiring migrants to demonstrate knowledge of a particular language, Swedish, and what is constructed as a singular national culture and its values. The article then homes in on a particular Arabic-language course in civic orientation for newly arrived adult migrants in a large urban area. We illustrate how disciplinary power and biopower work by socializing a group of migrants into a specific habitus of Swedish values and norms. We also unveil the acts of resistance they perform in response.

Drawing upon the analytical techniques of multimodal critical discourse analysis, this article investigates the book About Sweden, an educational materia lemployed in courses on civic orientation for newly arrived migrants. The analysisis informed by the following research questions: (1) What are represented as typically Swedish values and norms in the textbook? (2) How are such norms and values portrayed through written language and visual images? Visually the book relies on specific representations of Swedish nature without people. We argue that such pictures of the Swedish landscape are not ideologically neutral but carry connotations that are historically linked to forms of Swedish nationalism. Moreover, we interpret the lack of people in line with Berggren and Trägårdh (2006) notion of statist individualism (statsindividualism), an ideology according to which a strong interventionist welfare-state is not necessarily incompatible with the maximisation of individual freedom. Our textual analysis illustrates the textual tensions between, on the one hand, the choice of specific norms and values as Swedish, and, on the other hand, aversion towards overt national identity labels. Finally, we illustrate how Swedish values and norms in the textbook are just one link in a longer intertextual chain that connects the book to other policy documents as well as Swedish politicians’ public statements in the context of current debates about migration in Sweden. 

This book directly addresses three interrelated global events and their implications for education as seen from Scandinavian perspectives: migration flows, increased cultural diversity, and (post)nationalism; the erosion of the welfare state and the global rise of neoliberalism; and the Anthropocene and environmental challenges arising in the wake of the global exploitation of natural ecosystems. In case studies, theoretical articles, and reflective studies, researchers from Nordic countries explore how education, education policy, and educational thinking in these countries are affected by these global trends, bringing to the fore the different roles education can play in addressing the various issues and different ways of reimagining education.

This study is an examination of the current National Policy Frameworks for Teacher Education (Initial Training) forlower secondary school teachers in South Africa and Sweden. Comparing texts might lead to new understandings of the texts themselves and reveal differences between the social values held by cultures and nations, in this case inrelation to the teacher profession. This is especially interesting as the teacher profession are being challenged by globalisation and neo-liberal policies all over the world. Using a critical discourse analysis approach, we examine the forms and the general constructions of the texts and look for words and phrases that reveal the texts' attitudes to teachers, teacher education and the teacher profession. We also critically explore discourses in these texts on gender, ethnicity and sexuality drawing on an intersectional framework for analyses

The aim of this study is to explore the recognition, communication and discourses in relation to childhood, children and children’s rights in civic orientation programs for newly arrived adults in Sweden. Civic orientation has become one of the dominant immigrant integration policies in western Europe, with the aim of transmitting knowledge, norms, and values, thereby furthering “integration” into the new country (cf. von Brömssen et al. accepted; Council of Europe, 2017; SFS: 2010: 1138; Abdulla & Risenfors, 2013, Milani et al. 2021).  However, there is a not much research regarding how the educational content, e .g. knowledge constructions in the civic orientation programs are communicated,  negotiated and reproduced in practice. This paper is a contribution to this field of research, and in a broader perspective on migration, adult education, and integration.

Discourses on childhood, children and children’s rights are interesting to analyse as they show perceived constructions of norms and values on the family, on children and their upbringing, as well as on the society at large. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (ECHR) is seen as a basis for all international legal standards for children's rights today. There are several other conventions and laws that address children's rights around the world and current and historical documents affect those rights, including “The Convention of the Rights of the Child” (cf. Mattsson, 2020; Vandenhole, 2015).  A Human Rights approach and accordingly a “Rights of the Child” approach is also emphasized in courses on civic orientation from the European Union, as well as in the Swedish policies for this activity (Council of Europe, 2017; SFS: 2010: 1138).

The “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (CRC) was adopted by the United Nations in 1989 and soon thereafter, in 1990 it was signed by Swedish authorities. However, it didn’t become a law in Sweden until 2020 after a lot of investigations and discussions (see f.ex. Åhman, 2011; Stern, 2019).  The CRC currently counts 195 states parties and is the most widely ratified human rights treaty (Vandenhole, 2015). During the time the CRC has existed as a law in different countries around the world, the focus of the CRC has shifted onto the measures being taken at national level to give effect to children's rights, with specific reference to legal incorporation both direct incorporation (where the CRC forms part of domestic law) and indirect incorporation (where there are legal obligations which encourage its incorporation), (Kilkelly, Lundy & Byrne, 2021). Moreover, the legal effect is highly contingent upon the constitutional and legal systems of individual countries and can best be understood by those writing from a specific national context (Ponnert & Sonander, 2019). Therefore, it is interesting to explore discourses on childhood, children, and children’s rights in civic orientation courses for newly arrived adult migrants in Sweden. The overall research question guiding our work is as follows:

1)           What content is communicated, negotiated and reproduced concerning childhood, children  and children’s rights in civic orientation courses for newly arrived adults in Sweden?

Method/methodology 

This paper presents an ethnographic case study (Parker-Jenkins, 2018) of civic orientation courses in Sweden. Civic orientation is regulated by the state but is locally organized by municipalities (SOU 2010:16). Each newly arrived migrant must be offered this orientation which currently includes at least 100 hours (Swedish Government, 2020).  Courses should, if possible, be in the participant's mother tongue or another language that he or she speaks in order to avoid misunderstandings (SOU 2010:16).

Fieldwork was conducted in civic orientation courses in three larger Swedish cities, as courses there are run continuously, thus giving as the possibility to follow them without interruption. We conducted fieldwork on site during spring 2020 in courses in Arabic and English. Several in our research team understand and speak Arabic as well as English, so there was no need for external translators. As researchers we mainly took the position of participant observers.  Occasionally when being asked we took part in discussions but tried to interfere as little as possible during sessions. The participants in the courses had a background from many different parts of the world, even though there is a predominance of data from course participants with Arabic as their mother tongue. Each of the participants gave their consent to the study which follows ethical guidelines in accordance with the Swedish Research Council (2017).  Ethnographic data consisted of fieldwork notes written by hand and an accumulating written record of the observations were compiled. Themes that provided insights into discourses on childhood, children and children’s rights made up one theme and constitutes data for this paper. The analyses were informed by a narrative- and discourse analytic approach which focused the function of talk in terms of its discursive accomplishments and practices of fact constructions. A narrative approach explores the ways in which speakers make use of ‘stories’ as representational devices to position themselves and others (De Fina & Johnstone, 2015). Additionally, the ethnographic data invoke theory rather than being derived from theory. Each of the reflections in the paper are illustrated with quotes from participants and presented verbatim. The study started in real classroom contexts, although it had to be conducted (from April 2020) through Skype due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that data from two-thirds of our research were produced during classes on Skype.

Expected outcomes 

In the data from the civic orientation courses for newly arrived adult migrants in Sweden we find discursive themes and narrations about childhood, children and children’s rights. Here we give two examples.

Ethnographic Fieldwork Reflections I - Concern for the upbringing of children.

Many of the participants in the courses were parents and expressed several times through the course concern about what the children's upbringing would look like; was it possible to teach the children in an appropriate way in the new country? However, the biggest and most serious concern, expressed by several participants were the fear that the children would be taken care of by the social authorities. As one mother voiced: “My greatest worry is parenting. I come from Africa, and I like Sweden. In Sweden it’s…They might take your child from you. You are criminal. As much as I learn the Swedish way, I want to be African.”

Ethnographic Fieldwork Reflections II – Children’s rights.

Information of the Convention of Children’s rights was included in the courses. The communicator explained: “The convention of the Child is an interesting topic. It’s good to know as a lot of newcomers fear the social services, not knowing what my role as a parent is”. It was further explained that Sweden was one of the very first to sign the convention and in 2020 it became a law in Sweden. The communicator continued that children’s rights “is really on the table, now it’s a basic and praxis”. The communicator explained that “In Sweden it is important that children can express their ideas, for children to learn that they are important and to listen to. This was at first a cultural shock”.

Some additional themes as well as analyses will be presented at the conference.

Intent of publication

European Journal of Educational Research.

References 

Abdulla, A. & Risenfors, S. (2013). Kursen samhällsorientering för nyanlända: mobilisering och integration för deltagare. [The course civic orientation for new arrivals: mobilization and integration for participants].  In L. Eriksson, G. Nilsson & L. A. Svensson (red.), Gemenskaper: socialpedagogiska perspektiv.  Göteborg, Sweden: Daidalos. In Swedish.

von Brömssen, K., Milani, T., Spehar, A. & Bauer, S. (accepted for FECUN), “Swedes’ relations to their government are based on trust”.  Banal Nationalism in Civic Orientation Courses for Newly Arrived Adult Migrants in Sweden.

Council of Europe. (2017). Adult Migrants: Integration and Education. https://rm.coe.int/recommendations-resolutions-on-adult-migrants-and-education-rev-2017-/168079335c.

De Fina, A. & Johnstone, B. (2015). Discourse Analysis and Narrative. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton & D. Schiffrin (eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis, 2nd.ed. , pp. 152-167. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kilkelly, U., Lundy, L. & Byrne, B. (ed.), (2021). Incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into National Law.  Intersentia Ltd.

Lag (2018:1197) om Förenta nationernas konvention om barnets rättigheter [Convention on the Rights of the Child]. https://riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-20181197-om-forenta-nationernas-konvention_sfs-2018-1197 [Retrieved 2022-01-09].

Mattsson, T. (2020). Constitutional Rights for Children in Sweden. In T. Haugli, A. Nylund, R. Sigurdsen & L.R.L. Bendiksen (ed.), Children’s Constitutional Rights in the Nordic Countries, pp. 103-119. Brill.  

Milani, T., Bauer, S., Carlson, M., Spehar, A. & von Brömssen, K.  (2021).  Citizenship as status, habitus and acts: Language requirements and civic orientation in Sweden, Citizenship Studies, 25(6), 756-772, DOI: 10.1080/13621025.2021.1968698.

Parker-Jenkins, M. (2018). Problematising ethnography and case study: reflections on using ethnographic techniques and researcher positioning, Ethnography and Education, 13(1), 18-33, DOI: 10.1080/17457823.2016.1253028.

Ponnert, L. & Sonander, A. (Ed.), (2019). Perspektiv på barnkonventionen: Forskning, teori och praktik. Lund: Studentlitteratur. 

SFS 2010: 1138. (Official Report of the Swedish Government). Förordning om samhällsorientering för vissa nyanlända invandrare. [Ordinance on civic orientation for certain newly arrived immigrants]. Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish Government. In Swedish.

Stern, R. T. (2019). Much Ado about Nothing? The Road to the Incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Sweden, The International Journal of Children's Rights, 27(2), 266-305. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02702005.

Swedish Government, 2020. https://www.regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2019/12/utokad-samhallsorientering-for-nyanlanda/ [Retrieved 2022-01-20].

Swedish Research Council (2017). Good Research Practice. https://www.vr.se/english/analysis/reports/our-reports/2017-08-31-good-research-practice.html.

Vandenhole, W. (2015). Children’s rights from a legal perspective. In W. Vandenhole, E. Desmet, D. Reynaert & S. Lembrechts (ed.), Routledge International Handbook of Children’s Rights Studies, pp. 27-42.  London: Routledge.

Åhman, K. (2011). Rättsutlåtande om inkorporation av Barnkonventionen. Uppsala Faculty of Law, Working Paper 2011:4. 

This essay explores the concept of ambiguity out from an understanding developed by the French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. She was one of existentialism’s leading exponents, and her work entitled Ethics of Ambiguity (2018[1947]) works as a starting point. The concept of ambiguity is further explored from an educational view, with the help of the Brazilian educationalist Paulo Freire who was influenced by the French existentialist thinking. The essay ends discussing some current themes in education, with the insights brought out by the explorations of the concept of ambiguity by de Beauvoirand Freire.

Research about race and racism(s) has helped to explain power relations and differences in education. However, it has been difficult to have a theoretical lens using the concept of race and racism(s) accepted in areas of education, as well as in educational research in Sweden. Issues formulated in terms of race and racism(s) are controversial and there is strong resistance to talk about race. This article provides an overview of research in education using the concepts of race, racism(s), and/or racialization in Sweden after World War II. The aim is to investigate educational research where these concepts come into use, how this research is framed, the findings of the studies, as well as nuances and tendencies in educational research using the concept of race. The article locates the historical view of the concept of race and its use in Sweden and argues that the history and unresolved political issues around eugenics and race come into play and contribute to the hesitation and avoidance of the use of the concept. 

The aim of this presentation is to explore the work ‘The Ethics of Ambiguity’ (‘Pour une morale de l'ambiguïté’) bySimone de Beauvoir published in 1947. ‘The Ethics of Ambiguity’ consists of three parts and a short conclusion wherede Beauvoir puts out the philosophical underpinnings of her stance on an existentialist ethic. de Beauvoir's mostilluminating argument in this work is her description of the development of man and the order of human beings whoface the ambiguity of existence. In the symposium, questions will be discussed on the interpretation and meaning ofthe concept ambiguity, and how de Beauvoir’s way of seeing human beings might relate to education and ReligiousEducation in our neoliberal conditions

As flows of people are more common than ever in our times, challenges are put on individuals to put up with a complexity of ideas, values and lifestyles (Castells, 1997). This also means that identities are challenged and has to be negotiated, for many in new surroundings with new traditions, cultures, religions and languages. The concept of negotiation can be used to underline the dynamic processes in constructing linkages between traditions and individuality (cf Østberg, 2003; von Brömssen, 2003). In this paper I will focus discursive constructions and negotiations on 'religion' articulated by three young people age 14 and 15 in Sweden; two boys who position themselves as Muslims and one girl from the Buddhist tradition. The data has been constructed in individual interviews and analyzed from a discourse theoretical approach (Wetherell, Taylor & Yates, 2001). The research suggests that young people do intensive "identity work" (cf Ziehe, 1993) and articulate reflexive knowledge about cultural and religious pluralism, but also that this requires an advanced translational capacity. It also shows, albeit with some variations, that religion as a source of identity is apparent for many young people. This work links to a research proposal on work in a South-North perspective on issues on young people, religion, teaching and education as well as the conference theme "Education in an era of decolonization and transformation".

This document constitutes one of the intellectual outputs (IO5) of the Erasmus+ project Religious Education and Diversity (READY): Sharing experiences of and approaches to teacher education in the context of "Education and Training 2020." This paper summarizes, structures and analysis the READY material. It deals with student teachers' and teacher trainers' reflections on study visits, on student teachers' lesson planning and teaching,reflection papers, the produced DVDs and several other papers that are available on the READY website. See: http://www.readyproject.eu/

Integration av migranter har blivit en allt mer debatterad fråga i Sverige. I den här presentationen utgör kurser i samhällsorientering för nyanlända vuxna migranter i Sverige den empiriska utgångspunkten. Syftet är att undersöka om, och i så fall hur, medborgerliga värderingar är knutna till den svenska nationen genom specifika diskurser och berättelser. Med hjälp av ett ramverk som sammanför teoretiseringar av nationen med föreställningar om kronotopen (Bachtin, 1981) och sociala narrativ, visas hur samhällsorienteringen för vuxna migranter präglas av specifika rums-temporala rörelser som diskursivt konstruerar Sverige som en förgivettagen och ”naturlig” nation. Sådana nationella kronotoper är en del av nationalismens retorik vilken i samhällsorienteringen konstruerar en linjär och heltäckande berättelse om den svenska nationens välstånd och överlägsenhet, inte minst gentemot vissa andra geografiska områden i världen. Analysen bidrar till att visa hur vissa värderingar blir nationaliserade och konstruerar en "föreställd nation” (Calhoun 2017).

Presentationen utgår från projektet ”Medborgar- och demokratifostran för vuxna nyanlända migranter? – En policy-etnografisk studie i tre storstadskommuner” (VR - dnr 2018-04091).I projektet ingår:Simon Bauer, Institutionen för svenska, flerspråkighet och språkteknologi, Göteborgs universitetKerstin von Brömssen, Institutionen för Individ och Samhälle, Högskolan Väst.Tommaso T. Milani, Institutionen för svenska, flerspråkighet och språkteknologi, Göteborgs universitet och PennState University.Andrea Spehar, Institutionen för statsvetenskap, Göteborgs universitet.

Having been almost abandoned during the latter part of the 1900s, religion and youth is currently a growing field of research in Europe. Since people thought that secularisation would eradicate religion as a phenomenon, there was obviously no major reason to investigate young people’s attitudes towards religion. Since that time, the understanding of the world and its complex relationship with religion has changed, and this now attracts much discussion. In Europe, this not only concerns religion and youth among different migrant groups, but also research on religion and youth of those born and raised in Europe itself and integrated into the historic majority. The aim of this paper is to revisit and reanalyse the results of two qualitative research projects based on interviews with young students in schools who identify themselves as Swedish. I analyze their discursive constructions on their own religion and the religions of ‘others’. The data point towards a strong secularist discourse, where the Swedish students identify themselves as having a modern and rational worldview. On the other hand, they regard religion and religious people as old-fashioned and irrational. The focus in this article concerns articulations constructing this overarching secularist discourse, which I discuss in light of the contemporary debate on secularisation and secularism. However, most of the young students in the research appreciated the subject of Religious Education in Sweden as a means towards understanding the world. This was especially so in discussions on Religious Education with upper secondary school students, whereas younger students found religion to be more boring and traditional; thus the subject having difficulties in relating to the younger students’ experiences.

In the aftermath of the 2015-2016 student protests on South African university campuses, many universities are struggling with how to respond to the demands put forward by students to end epistemic violence and decolonise curriculum. The discourse on decolonizing the curriculum Is strong and loud, and the question concerning whar knowledge is most worth as well as whose knowledge is of most worth is highly relevant. A challenge that remains in the debate around responding to these demands concerns the fact that the call to decolonize curriculum is incredibly diverse, and seldom founded on similar concepts and ideologies when addressed by different people or groups. New lines of thinking is needed. This paper gives a background to the protests in 2015-2016 and a presentation of various discourses from the South African context of claiming decolonizing of education.  

Right before the critical events in Oslo and on Utøya in Norway 22/7, 2011 Anders Behring Breivik electronically distributed a compendium comprising his far-right militant ideology encompassing Islamophobia, support for far-right Zionism and opposition to multiculturalism and feminism. The text can be found on the Internet, as well as thousands of others texts profiling the same right-wing ideology. Hence some researchers talk about “the dark Internet”. This paper discusses findings based on focus-groups interviews with young people (age 18-23) in Sweden and Norway. Focus of the interviews are on the remembrance of the terror attacks, but also with a special focus on the young peoples’ knowledge and possible reactions when confronting messages like those Anders B Breivik expressed. Where do young people meet such messages today and how do they react when meeting them? Moreover, do the young people remember teaching and discussions in school concerning the terror attacks in Norway, and ultimately teaching concerning Islamophobia and right-wing contemporary ideologies? This research will have implications for understanding young peoples’ reflections on the use of the Internet and on education in a broad sense concerning right wing ideologies in the Nordic society.