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Designing preschools for an independent and social child: visions of preschool space in the Swedish welfare state
Örebro University, School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3444-952X
2021 (English)In: Early years, ISSN 0957-5146, E-ISSN 1472-4421, Vol. 41, no 5, p. 458-475Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The physical environment in early years education and care is crucial. This paper examines the Swedish government’s vision of preschool design in the welfare state of the 1970s and the conceptions of children and society upon which it was based. Presenting an investigation of reports, booklets, and study materials published by various branches of the central government, this paper analyses an ambitious preschool design intended to provide children with a diverse and stimulating environment that supported their independence and freedom of choice. Unlike similar designs in postwar Europe, this preschool design was not formulated in response to the experiences of the world wars. Inspired by the theories of Piaget and Erikson and based on the rationality of the Swedish welfare state, this preschool design was instead intended to remedy the shortcomings of a perceived anonymous, sterile and barren modern society. In relation to existing research, this paper contributes to the study of the so-called nursery heritage by examining how it was formulated in the setting of the Swedish welfare state. In so doing, the paper also provides ample ground for a continued critical discussion on contemporary strands of neoliberal preschool design.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2021. Vol. 41, no 5, p. 458-475
Keywords [en]
Preschool, early childhood, material culture, space, piaget, history of education
Keywords [sv]
förskolan, materiell kultur, utbildningshistoria
National Category
Pedagogy
Research subject
Education
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-73972DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2019.1608426ISI: 000470487800001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85065132874OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-73972DiVA, id: diva2:1307925
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2017-03542Available from: 2019-04-29 Created: 2019-04-29 Last updated: 2022-01-13Bibliographically approved

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Westberg, Johannes

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
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