Response and responsibility: fabrication of the eco-certified citizen in Swedish curricula 1962–2011

Abstract

This article addresses the fabrication of the eco-certified citizen, an ideal – rather than real – citizen constructed through requirements of both needed knowledge and a kind of personhood, with specific qualities. The societal demands of knowledge-response to environmental problems are studied, as well as the student’s (future citizen’s) responsibility in relation to these problems, in five subsequent national curricula for the Swedish compulsory school between 1962 and 2011. How does environmental education operate as a hub for constructing desirable citizens? From a theoretical framework of governmentality, the article explores how political rationalities for society and citizenship emerge. Our findings show how recent curricula, by using space and time metaphors, fabricate the eco-certified citizen as an individualistic, globalized person who is able and willing to use scientific knowledge to make decisions and develop opinions about the world. Citizenship has evolved as a competence rather than an ongoing practice, meaning that one has to prove oneself as a legitimate citizen. This emerging, post-political, citizenship differs from citizenship posited in 1960s’ curricula – a combination of traditional family values and democratic involvement in the local society.

Keywords:

• Environmental education
• citizenship
• fabrication
• governmentality
• curriculum
• Sweden

Acknowledgment

The research was conducted at Faculty of Education and Society, Malmö University, Sweden.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council [grant number 2011-5907].

Notes

1. Wermke and Höstfält (2014) make an analysis of the Swedish teacher’s professional autonomy over the same period, characterising three periods: process governance (1940s–1970s/1980s), product governance (1980s–1990s) and de-professionalisation (since 2000).

2. Kungliga Skolöverstyrelsen.

3. Palmer (1998) has further described the awakening and growth of environmental education, and how the practice can be seen as an answer to events as well as international agreements.