Secular Schooling in the Long Twentieth Century? - Christianity and Education in Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands

The twentieth-century process of secularization does not mean that institutional church and Christian ideas were irrelevant for twentieth-century societal projects - such as the introduction of democracy, the improvement of school and education, the framing of national identities - or in the establishment of welfare-states. On the contrary, this publication is built on the presupposition that secularization runs parallell with the sacralization of the state. It can be argued that Christianity has been decisive for how the modern European society evolved in the twentieth century, e.g. concerning how Christian history and Christian values were a part of the new national and social imaginary where re-enchantment and re-sacralization of the state were central elements.
In this publication, the aim is to highlight the role of Christianity in the twentieth- and twentyfirst-century welfare-state modernization process with the focus on schooling and education. A central perspective is the impact of cultural Protestantism during the twentieth century. The publication is comparative and will investigate education in Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands via chapters on curriculums, textbooks, politicians, and political debates.

About the author

M. Roos, University of South Eastern, Norway; J. Westberg, University of Groningen, the Netherlands; H. Edgren, Uppsala University.

Product details

• Assisted by: Henrik Edgren (Editor), Merethe Roos (Editor), Johannes Westberg (Editor)
• Publisher: Oldenbourg
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2024
• EAN: 9783111082431
• ISBN: 978-3-11-108243-1
• No. of pages: 280
• Weight: 527 g
• Illustrations: 3 b/w tbl.
• Series: Studies in the History of Education and Culture / Studien zur Bildungs- und Kulturgeschichte
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Kulturgeschichte, Bildung, Geschichte, Christentum, Wohlfahrt, Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte, Nordeuropa, Skandinavien, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, Education, Cultural History, Welfare State, Social & cultural history, Christianity, HIS037030 HISTORY / Modern / General, HIS037070 HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century, HIS054000 HISTORY / Social History