Creating Monsters in the Classroom : A Philosophical Take on Children’s Processes of Formation in Relation to Educational Institutions Affected by Societal Norms and Prejudices

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores how contemporary educational institutions may contribute to the formation of children as perceived “societal threats” through processes of exclusion, suspicion, and normative categorization. Grounded in Educational Theory and inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the study develops a philosophical analysis of how children’s processes of formation are shaped in relation to social norms, institutional practices, and societal discourses surrounding class, ethnicity, race, and criminality. The thesis takes inspiration from the current Swedish political and public debates concerning increased discipline, surveillance, and control in schools, particularly in socioeconomically vulnerable areas. Through an analogy with Shelley’s creature, the study examines how children who are positioned as potentially dangerous or disruptive risk becoming subjected to educational experiences affected by social exclusion, that further affects their opportunities for self- formation. The concept of “interrupted children” is introduced to describe children whose educational journeys are repeatedly disrupted by institutional suspicion, social prejudice, and normative expectations. The theoretical framework combines phenomenological theories of whiteness and social exclusion, perspectives on the social conceptualization of children as well theories of formation and its process. Together, these perspectives are used to analyze how educational institutions, and social environments may reproduce norms and prejudice while simultaneously shaping children’s identities, possibilities, and relations to society. Rather than producing empirical or objective conclusions, the thesis offers a philosophical and interpretive examination of how educational institutions may unintentionally participate in forming the very “monsters” they seek to prevent. The study argues that when certain children are persistently positioned as outsiders, threats, or failures, their opportunities for recognition, belonging, and autonomous formation risk being constrained. Ultimately, the thesis highlights the ethical and educational consequences of allowing societal influences shape contemporary educational practices.