Martin Stolare

Did the Vikings really have helmets with horns? : Sources and narrative content in Swedish upper primary school history teaching

The topic of this article is history education in upper primary school. Traditionally, the history subject has had a narrative orientation at this school level in Sweden, but it is also pattern that is discernible internationally. The recent Swedish upper primary school syllabus places more emphasis on the procedural aspects of the subject. In Sweden, the teachers are in the process of changing their history teaching accordingly. What happens in such a process? This is the broad issue discussed in this article. The empirical material is a series of lessons on the subject of ‘Vikings and Sources’ in a 4/5 grade class in a Swedish upper primary school. In the course of the study it becomes apparent how strong the tradition of a narrative history subject is and how difficult it can be for a class teacher to deal with a concept such as sources from a disciplinary perspective. Instead, it tends to be addressed in more general terms.

The Swedes and their history

The aim of this article is to analyse adolescents’ views of Swedish history. A small number of adults were also included in the study. The analysis shows that, regardless of the age of the informants, Sweden is portrayed as an exception from the world through its legacy of a long peace (in spite of a war-torn distant history) and through its enjoyment of progress, democracy and prosperity. We interpret this as a result of a history culture in which schools as well as other institutions produce a common, conflict-free history, which may be challenged in an emerging neonationalist era.