Accepting Linguistic Heterogeneity – Teaching Finnish-Speaking Parish Members in Eighteenth-Century Sweden
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21409581 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christoffer Åhlman (0009-0007-6298-6687, Örebro University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-21 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0046-760X • E-ISSN: 1464-5130 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0046760x.2025.2551546 |
| OpenAlex | W4414134107 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
In 1682, Charles XI of Sweden issued a royal decree concerning the Finnish-speaking population’s poor catechetical knowledge of the provinces of Gästrikland and Hälsingland. According to the decree, the inadequate knowledge resulted from a lack of understanding of the Swedish language. Thus, only Swedish was to be used in popular education. How did popular education address linguistic diversity? Were Finnish-speaking parish members forced to use Swedish? Traces in historical records show that Finnish was used in popular education. By studying examination records, decrees, letters and other materials concerning popular education in the parishes of Färila, Alfta and Järvsö parish in Hälsingland c. 1680–1730, this article examines which strategies were used, developed and implemented. The results show that popular education could accept linguistic diversity and could thus adapt to local needs
Discourse analysis · Ethnic group · Ethnography · Higher education · Teaching method · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · Linguistic Education and Pedagogy · Multilingual Education and Policy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |