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Cultural Democracy and Civic Democracy: Democracy and Folkbildning in Sweden

  • Journal of the Scandinavian Society of Korea
  • Abbr : JSSK
  • 2017, (19), pp.119-152
  • Publisher : The Scandinavian Society of Korea
  • Research Area : Social Science > Area Studies > North Europe(Scandinavian)

Inchoon Kim 1

1연세대학교 동서문제연구원

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper examines that historically Sweden’s cultural policy and Folkbildning(popular education) has crucially contributed to development of democracy in Sweden and argues that cultural democracy is a necessary condition for civic democracy. Robert Dahl argued that ‘enlightened understanding’ is one of key five principles for democracy. The mission of Folkbildning in Sweden has been to foster ‘enlightened understanding’ for all people as ‘bildning’ means enlightenment and education. This mission of Folkbildning is equivalent to the mission of cultural democracy since cultural democracy seeks to make art and education accessible to all people and focuses on inclusion, diversity and access to the means of cultural production. Cultural policy has important and practical meaning to democracy and Folkbildning in Sweden has been key component of cultural policy since 1912. Folkbildning’s conceptual heritage stretches back to the late 19th century when large groups of the people were excluded from higher education and aristocratic constitutionalism and estate system were strong. Sweden was a latecomer in democratization process compared to other European countries in the early 20th century. Folkbildning has contributed to the peaceful and democratic social transformation of Sweden through self-directed and collaborative education and learning and civic morality involving respectability, rationality and self-discipline. Folkbildning’s working class education was important in attaining a condition for working class participation in the public sphere and making them as ‘cultural citizen’.

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