The Nordic school meeting as an arena for educational policy (1870–1970). A spatial perspective on the history of education.

Abstract

The subject of this article is the Nordic school meetings, arranged in Nordic countries every five year between 1870 and 1970. Attracting thousands of visitors, the school meetings were significant places for educational discussions among leading pedagogues, and an important force in the development of transnational networks and comparisons. Adopting a spatial perspective, the article aims to explore the Nordic school meeting as an arena for educational policy with certain characteristics. It is argued that the vast numbers of people gathered in a limited space affected the nature and significance of discussions among the participants. The Nordic school meeting is described as a place which oscillated between two opposites: cooperation and conflict. The large amount of people gathered in a single space created new ways of showing solidarity, such as unison singing. At the same time it also created new ways of expressing conflict, such as hushing the speaker.