To Örebro University

Our guiding thesis in this article is that the recent burgeoning discussion of differentiation in the context of education has to do with critiques of the globalization theories that have been popular since 1990. In doing so, however, these critically motivated discussions run the risk of overlooking the historical roots of differentiation, which are closely related to the establishment of nation-states in the long 19th century and which themselves have much to do with educational systems and the fabrication of loyal citizens. By reconstructing the genesis of the conditions of differentiation in the context of the emerging nation-states, the article provides a historically informed basis for starting the new discussion on differentiation from an overly simplistic critique of globalization theories.

This article delves into the historical context of the second girls' school committee in late-nineteenth-century Sweden, exploring aspects of gendered content and conduct in its formation and operations. Firstly, the study investigates the media representation of the committee's inclusion of women and how it was framed for the public. Secondly, it examines the committee's use of statistics in its 1888 report to advocate for a particular type of education for girls, based on notions of their "female nature." By adopting a feminist approach to historical writing, the article aims to shed light on the committee's significance in terms of breaking the male-dominated pattern of state decision-making. As a result, this article contributes to the field of gender and history of education by examining the groundbreaking inclusion of women in the girls' school committee and the utilisation of statistics to shape educational policies in a society grappling with conflicting notions of female nature and women's expanding roles in education and the workforce.