Många bäckar små: Hur regional variation bildar en nationell enhet i Läsebok för folkskolan 1868-1912

Sammanfattning

This study examines how regional variation is given significance in the construction of a shared national identity in Läsebok för folkskolan. The study focuses on how Swedish provinces and their inhabitants are portrayed in the first, ninth and tenth editions of Läsebok för folkskolan between the years 1868 and 1912. The study's aim is to deepen the understanding of how the educational system during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries contributed to nation building by integrating regional diversity into the idea of Sweden as a nation. The study is based on a qualitative text analysis and a discourse analytical perspective. Through the analysis, recurring themes in the portrayals of the provinces are identified, such as nature, characteristics and history. The study is based theoretically on Benedict Anderson’s definition of the nation as an imagined community and Eric Hobsbawm’s theory of “invented traditions”, as well as their shared view of the nation as something constructed. The results show that regional variation is presented as a prerequisite for national unity. The provinces are assigned different functions and characteristics which together construct the image of Sweden as an entirety. The study also demonstrates that the portrayals of the provinces change over time through an increased focus on industrialization and modernity, while the national discourse remains consistent.