To Örebro University

The Swedish author and educator Ellen Key (1849–1926) became one of the most prominent writers on educational matters in Europe at the turn of the 20th century following the publication of The Century of the Child in 1900. It is less widely known, however, that the pioneer of progressive education and children’s rights also advocated the improvement of humanity through eugenics, and publicly endorsed the foundation of the Swedish Institute for Racial Biology in 1921. In previous research, Key’s stance on eugenics has been explained by her evolutionist worldview, influenced by her reading of scientists and philosophers such as Francis Galton (1822–1911) and Herbert Spencer (1820–1903). But can her support for eugenics solely be reduced to the influence of these and other authors? And what role did eugenics play in her educational thinking?

These issues are addressed in this thesis, which aims to show how Key strived to create a new kind of human being by consolidating eugenics and education in her work. The analysis identifies several dichotomies that were vital to Key’s knowledge production on eugenics and education: evolution/degeneration; nature/nurture; body/soul; sense/sensibility; and individual/society. These concepts form the thematic structure of the thesis and point to a central finding; namely, that Key’s desire to dissolve such dichotomous thinking is a crucial component in understanding how she combined eugenics and education, as two means to the end of creating a new kind of human. The analysis also demonstrates that Key did not merely adopt the knowledge of others but developed her own ideas on eugenics that even induced two British eugenicists to consider the importance of love in human betterment. Finally, this study illustrates how eugenics was integrated into Key’s pedagogy as part of her educational aim, proposed learning content and ideas about socialisation. In conclusion, the thesis contributes to a discussion of the aim of the educational endeavour to create a better human and the use of pioneers in educational sciences today.