Nordic Lights

The democratic model of education is often hailed as Norden's present to the world. Free adult education and the common school system were established for the purposes of nation-building, at the same time giving rise to the civic society. In this book, the past and the present of the Nordic model is studied by nine scholars from Estonia, Finland, Sweden, and Norway. They question its viability, as well as the credibility of its official history. They look at the treatment accorded to indigenous ethnic minorities, such as the Saamis and the Finns, during the period of nation-building.