Med samhället i centrum

Medborgarskapsutbildningen och samhällskunskapsämnets relevans

Abstract

The aim of this article is to suggest "society" and "social analytical thinking" as the core concepts for the social science (Swedish: samhällskunskap) subject. Thus, the article contributes to the ongoing research debate on social science education by exploring the question whether social science is at risk of losing its position as the central citizenship subject in Swedish school. This risk is problematized and discussed. The authors argue that the relevance of the social science subject matter would be clarified and strengthened by making "society" and "social analytical thinking" into the core concepts of the subject. The proposal means that the scientific disciplines (i.e., political science, sociology, economics and law) that contribute to the social sciences subject by relating to these concepts can clarify the discipline-specific knowledge and perspectives that are considered crucial for a society to be formed and survive. The article also discusses community engagement and what may be a relevant level of ambition for compulsory citizenship education, from the perspective of the citizen as "a reflective spectator". The possibilities to develop the pupils' community, or social, engagement is illustrated by means of current Swedish classroom research on teachers' use of concepts and social analytical thinking in teaching.