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This dissertation analyses historical-cultural change in Sweden during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The study focuses on historical narratives concerning the eighteenth-century epoch called the Age of Liberty and the subsequent reign of Gustav III. The overarching aim has been to study these narratives within a Swedish national historical culture from the 1870s to the 1990s. Three different arenas are examined in which history has been mediated in society: the historical research arena, the history textbook arena and history-mediating texts published in the press, what is here referred to as the press arena. The dissertation analyses the relationship between the mediation within these arenas, how this relationship has changed over time, and how they have taken part in influencing the overall image of the Age of Liberty and Gustav III's reign. The theoretical framework is largely based on history didactical perspectives concerning historical culture and the mediation of history. A two-pronged analytical method has been applied consisting of a hermeneutic analysis of mediation and a narrative analysis.

This study shows that the three arenas are the most homogeneous in relation to each other during the period from the 1870s up until the 1920s. The historical culture is dominated by two main narratives during this period. One is a conservative, royalistic state idealist narrative, where the Age of Liberty functions as a cautionary tale about the dangers of party rule and a weak monarchy. The other narrative is a prodemocratic anti-Gustavian narrative, originating from the works of Anders Fryxell. However, this narrative is absent from the textbook arena, where the state idealist narrative is completely dominant. But overall, there is high level of temporal consistency between the three arenas during this time. This changes from the 1920s onwards, when the arenas drift apart and become more heterogeneous in relation to each other. As the arenas become more genre-specific, their roles as platforms for history mediation consequently begin to diverge. Which arena narratives are conveyed in, gradually attains greater importance for the historical-cultural communication.

From the 1960s onwards, a Lagerrothian pro-parliamentary, prodemocratic narrative, which primarily originates from the research arena, becomes prominent in textbooks and press, but not as prominent in historical research. In this narrative, the Age of Liberty is presented as the precursor of the sound democratic, parliamentary system known in contemporary times, with people's rule, social equality, and without royal interference. The reign of Gustav III is described as an obstacle standing in the path of desirable social and political development. The narrative consolidates democratic ideals in its contemporary context by highlighting parliamentary and democratic traditions in the nation’s history. By the end of the twentieth century, the Lagerrothian narrative dominates both the textbook arena and the press arena. The shift from one dominant narrative to another suggests that the political applicability of research narratives in different times has a strong impact on historical cultural change within the framework of the nation. The study also shows that the most dominant narrative has not shifted chronologically from an old narrative to a newer one. Rather, the shift has been from one dominant narrative direction to another, while both have been mediated simultaneously for decades. It is concluded in the study that the view of a “lag” between historical research and other arenas must be nuanced and placed in the context of specific historical narratives.

Frihetstiden och den gustavianska tiden har varit omstridda epoker i svensk historiekultur. Kontrasten mellan frihetstidens parlamentariska men samtidigt korrumperade inslag och Gustav III:s despotiska men samtidigt ståndsutjämnande regeringstid, har skapat vitt skilda historienarrativ om 1700-talet. Berättelserna om epokerna har påverkats av de samtida politiska och kulturella strömningarna i samhället, samt forskningsutvecklingen inom de berörda forskningsfälten. I denna bokpresentation kommer en studie av svensk nationell historiekultur att presenteras, med en spcecifik inriktning mot historienarrativ om frihetstid och gustaviansk tid under 1800- och 1900-talet. Studien ska främst förstås som ett historiedidaktiskt projekt, men kan även relateras till de historiografiska, kunskapshistoriska och utbildningshistoriska fälten. Det övergripande syftet med studien är att visa vilken plats och roll historienarrativ om frihetstiden och Gustav III:s regeringstid har haft i en svensk nationell historiekultur från 1870-talets början fram till 1990-talets slut. Särskilt centralt är granskningen av hur historienarrativ om epokerna har spelat en roll i föreställningar om demokratiseringsprocessen i Sverige. I denna studie granskas tre arenor där historia har förmedlats i samhället: historieforskningsarenan, historieläroboksarenan och offentliga politiska presstexter, det som här benämns som pressarenan. Ett huvudsakligt fokus ligger på undersökningen av relationen mellan dessa arenor och hur de sinsemellan har interagerat och påverkat den övergripande bilden av frihetstiden och Gustav III:s regeringstid. Studien är ett avhandlingsprojekt och de mest centrala resultat och teman som uppdagats i detta projekt kommer att tas upp under bokpresentationen.

This chapter explores the historiographical development in Sweden concerning research on the eighteenth-century epoch the Age of Liberty. The chapter outlines the emergence of some research directions during the late nineteenth century, primarily the dominant Geijer tradition and its state idealist followers. The chapter also deals with the legacy of the historiographical outsider Anders Fryxell, who likewise contributed to modern scholarly trends within this field of research. Furthermore, the chapter outlines the development of the conservative state idealist direction and the clash between these historians and the political science scholar Fredrik Lagerroth, who's dissertation in 1915 reshaped the understanding of the Age of Liberty in Sweden. The constitutional interpretations of Lagerroth led to the rise of a new liberal idealistic and positive narrative that challenged the legacy of the state idealists and their damning depiction of the period. Moreover, the chapter highlights how this historiographical development in Sweden created a series of narratives, separate from the historiographical progression in Finland. There was no establishment of liberal idealist and positive narratives in contemporary Finnish historiography. Finally, the chapter describes later twentieth century directions, including a discussion about the contributions of the influential historian Sten Carlsson and the breakthrough of social history.

This article examines history mediation and the relationship between education and academia. The aim is to investigate historical representations of the Christianisation in Sweden from 1915 to 1996, by doing a comparative analysis of the content in research publications and history textbooks for upper secondary school (or the equivalent). The research field and the textbooks are perceived as two different knowledge arenas. The analysis shows how the two arenas are more harmonious and consistent in their representations of Christianisation during the early twentieth century. In the mid-twentieth century, the arenas deviated from each other for an extended period, before finally becoming more unitary again by the end of the century. The impact of the schools’ steering documents, as well as the distinctiveness of the two arenas, seems to constitute the conditions for inconsistencies between them at different times. The analysis also suggests that the educational applicability of the knowledge content in contemporary research, likewise impacts the relationship between the two arenas.

When researchers, textbook authors and teachers mediate historical knowledge, the representations tend to shift in different times and contexts. But how do different knowledge spheres interplay witheach other in the knowledge circulation in a specific society? The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediation of educational knowledge concerning the Christianization process in Sweden during theperiod 1915–2000, with the main focus on the relationship between the content in historical research and textbooks in history and religion for upper secondary school. The study will investigate the specific relation between 1) research publications in history, history of religion, archaeology, and 2) textbooks, in connection to a specific historical event. Through this, the paper will try and enhance the understanding of how the content in the texts can correspond and how this changes over time. The paper will utilize the concept of Knowledge arenas. The educational field and the research field will beperceived as two such arenas, where historical knowledge is mediated as a part of a larger infrastructure for knowledge. The analysis will be highlighting the intersection between historiographical and educational knowledge in the public sphere, which in turn brings new perspectives to the connection between the production and mediation of knowledge in the history ofeducation. The paper also brings the history of science into dialogue with the history of schooling, which can reframe our understanding of the social and cultural power over knowledge in education and its relationship to scientific development.

In Western Europe, during the Long Nineteenth Century and the Age of Nationalism, states needed to find a way to create loyal, national citizens who would fit a certain ideal. One of the ways that states tried to answer this problem was by educationalizing the making of “future citizens” - socializing children through mass education and a national curriculum. What we intend to do in our paper, is to analyze and compare how two different cases, Austria and Sweden, used national historical narratives to instill a certain sense of historical consciousness that would create the desired citizen while also uniting society at the national level (Friedrich, 2010). The Austrian case analyzes the writing of recent history (in their case, the Austro-Prussian “German” War of 1866 and its aftereffects) in history textbooks published from 1869 until the Interwar Period. This timeframe in particular encompasses the decades during which Austria was coming to terms with its ousting from the German Confederation and subsequent exclusion from a united Germany, as well as the time after which Austria had officially reached nation-state status (after the conclusion of the First World War in 1918). In perusing these textbooks, the role of the national historical narrative as it concerned Austria’s national identity is reconstructed. This is compared, in turn, with the Swedish case which analyzes the writing of a national historical narrative concerning the 18th century (the so called “Age of Liberty” and the reign of Gustav III) in history textbooks published from 1870 until the Interwar Period. The 18th century in Sweden was characterized by disruptions and subversions on several fronts. The national narrative concerning this period will serve as an example of how the Swedish State grappled with the issue of depicting a diverse and complex historical period while at the same time keeping education aimed at national unification and loyalty to the nation-state (Berg & Edquist 2015). The paper will elaborate on how the historical narratives in textbooks became tools purposed with shaping students into the ideal national citizens in these two different aspiring nation-states which were both trying to develop into independent, unified nations after separating from long intertwined histories with their neighbors. This will be done through the theoretical perspectives of socialization and educationalization (Smeyers & Depaepe, 2008; Tröhler, 2011).

Detta paper behandlar aspekter av mitt avhandlingsprojekt som berör historiekultur kopplat till och framställningarna av frihetstid och gustaviansk tid under 1800- och 1900-talen. Historiekulturen som är föremål för undersökningen gör sig gällande på alla plan i samhället där historia produceras, konsumeras eller används, vilket gör att avhandlingsprojektet får en tydlig historiebruksdimension. Det övergripande syftet är att undersöka hur frihetstiden och Gustav III:s regeringstid har framställts i svensk historiekultur och historieförmedling under perioden 1870–1990. I detta paper analyseras en del av det historiedidaktiska området genom en analys av historieläroböckers skildringar av frihetstiden och Gustav III:s regeringstid mellan 1870 och 1924. En central del av genomgången är granskningen av hur framställningarna av 1700-talet går att koppla till föreställningar om det demokratiserade samhälle som börjar växa fram under perioden. Metoden som används är en kvalitativ hermeneutisk textanalys. Teoretiskt utgår studien ifrån Jörn Rüsens historiekulturella dimensioner. Analysen visar hur läroböckerna målar upp en negativ bild av frihetstiden samt en övervägande positiv bild av Gustav III:s regeringstid. De två epokerna utgör kontrasterande delar i ett narrativ rörande den politiska och konstitutionella utvecklingen under 1700-talet där Gustav III:s maktövertagande anses utgöra en räddning undan frihetstidens inrikespolitiska förfall. Den politiska dimensionen blir drivande i framställningarna och består i en samling av olika ”läxor” eller värden som eleverna ska ta med sig från detta 1700-tals narrativ. Dessa är kopplade till en nationalistisk historiekultur där tankar om fosterlandets välmående och självständighet är centrala teman. Vidare visar läroböckerna upp en stor statiskhet och traditionstyngd såtillvida att framställningarna inte förändras nämnvärt under huvuddelen av undersökningsperioden. Den bestående bilden blir den av en kunglig revolutionär som bereder vägen för demokratiseringen och ett frihetstida adelsvälde som enbart utgör en parentes i Sveriges historia.

Frihetstiden och gustavianska tiden har varit omstridda epoker i svensk historiekultur. Kontrasten mellan frihetstidens parlamentariska men samtidigt korrumperade inslag och Gustav III:s despotiska men samtidigt ståndsutjämnande regeringstid, har skapat vilt skilda synsätt på 1700-talet. Synen på epokerna har påverkats av de samtida politiska och kulturella strömningarna i samhället. Detta forskningsprojekt undersöker historiekultur kopplat till framställningar av frihetstid och gustaviansk tid under 1800-, och 1900-talet. Studien kan relateras till de historiografiska, historiekulturella, historiedidaktiska och utbildningshistoriska fälten. Studiens övergripande syfte är att undersöka hur frihetstiden och Gustav III:s regeringstid har framställts i svensk historiekultur och historieförmedling under perioden 1870–1990. En central del av undersökningen är granskningen av hur framställningarna och förståelsen av epokerna har inverkat på föreställningar om demokratiseringsprocessen i Sverige. Studien granskar fyra olika områden där historia har skapats och förmedlats i samhället, dessa är historieforskning, historieläroböcker, offentliga politiska debatter samt det populärhistoriska området. Ett huvudsakligt fokus ligger på undersökningen av relationen mellan dessa områden och hur de sinsemellan har styrt framställningarna av 1700-talet.