ALPHA. Demokratiskolan.se is a PROTOTYPE · Content review in progress
Demokratiskolan
The National Identity card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 74 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaPeople & belonging
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence3 on the journey
  • Decisive electionRiksdagsvalet
People & belonging

National Identity

Peoples' sense of belonging to the nation

The sense of belonging to a country cannot be decided into being, but the public sector shapes it all the time: the school's history teaching, the national day, the flag days, the cultural heritage and the language. National identity is one of the areas where formal power is at its smallest and the power of everyday life at its largest.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · celebrations, ceremonies & local heritage · approx 25 %
  • State · symbols, school & cultural heritage · approx 70 %
  • EU · a European layer on top · approx 5 %

Public power over identity is limited, most of it is shaped in everyday life. Of the public sector, central government carries the most weight: the school, the symbols and the cultural heritage.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityThe local celebration
The regionWithout a formal role
Central governmentThe symbols & the story · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal council (kommunfullmäktige) and the culture and leisure committee.
No formal role in identity matters.
The Riksdag, the Government, the National Agency for Education, Isof and the National Heritage Board.
What do they decide?
National day celebrations, citizenship ceremonies, support to local heritage associations and local museums.
No formal role, but regional museums and cultural heritage are supported through the cultural cooperation model.
The national day as a public holiday, flag rules, the curriculum's history and fundamental values, the cultural heritage and the documentation of traditions.
Where are decisions made?
In the culture committee's budget and in the park on 6 June.
In the region's cultural plan.
In the Riksdag, in the curricula and at the cultural heritage agencies.
Who pays?
The municipal tax: celebrations, association grants and local museums.
The regional tax part-funds the county museums.
The central government budget: the school, the museums and heritage conservation.
Fastest way in?
Municipal election Propose how the municipality celebrates and remembers. Local heritage associations welcome new members.
Regional election The regional election affects cultural support, not identity itself.
General election The general election shapes school and cultural heritage policy. Curricula go out for referral (remiss).
EUThe EU builds a cautious European identity on top of the national one: a flag, an anthem and EU citizenship. How far it should go is shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case The national day becomes a public holiday and is celebrated in the square
  1. State

    The Riksdag makes 6 June a public holiday

    After years of debate, the Riksdag decided that from 2005 the national day is a public holiday. An identity decision taken through ordinary legislation, after an inquiry and a referral.

    Point of influence

    The general election shapes symbol policy. Inquiries into holidays and symbols go out for referral (remiss).

  2. State

    The school carries the story

    The curriculum states what all pupils are to encounter of Swedish history, civics and fundamental values. The National Agency for Education draws up the syllabuses, the Government adopts them.

    Point of influence

    Syllabuses are revised openly, and teachers, parents and organisations can submit views.

  3. Municipality

    The municipality arranges the celebration

    The culture and leisure committee budgets for the national day celebration in the square and for the statutory citizenship ceremony, often the same day. The association sector often provides the content.

    Point of influence

    Many municipalities accept proposals about the celebration, and associations can apply for grants to take part.

  4. Municipality

    The associations fill the day

    Choirs, local heritage associations, sports clubs and associations with roots in other countries fill the programme. What is shown as Swedish is in practice decided by who takes part.

  5. Your everyday life

    A day off, a flag raised

    The national day becomes what you make of it: a ceremony, a picnic or just a day off. Identity is not decided, but the frame around it is politics.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. What makes you feel at home in Sweden, and what does the public sector have to do with it?

  2. Which stories about the country did you get in school, and which were missing?

  3. How is it possible to carry several identities at once, and how is it visible in your surroundings?

  4. What should a national day celebration include for all residents to feel invited?

  5. Who has the most power over the image of Sweden today: the school, the media or someone else?

Glossary

Allmän helgdag
A day off established in law by the Riksdag.
Läroplan
The central government governing document that states the school's goals, fundamental values and content.
Kulturarv
Traces of history that society has chosen to preserve: buildings, traditions, stories.
Medborgarskapsceremoni
The municipality's statutory welcome for new citizens.
Hembygdsförening
A non-profit association that cares for local history and local traditions.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.