This article explores the interplay between different types of knowledge and rationality in care work through a case study of a nursing home innovation project in a Danish municipality. The aim is to understand the implications for innovation processes and dissemination within the context of elder care. Care work, in some sense, relies on relational and contextual knowledge which may lead to challenges when innovation and best practices are to be diffused across organizations. This is especially true since diffusion often relies on codification of practices and knowledge. Caring rationality is essential to how technologies and methods are practiced in the care situation, and thus also essential for best practices and how they are disseminated. However, other types of codified and explicit rationality are equally important. The article concludes that there are several types of knowledge in play in care work practices and innovation, and it indicates that communities of practice could be key to understanding how to share and learn from best practices across organizations.
{"title":"Care work an diffusion of innovation in Danish elder care","authors":"Luise Li Langergaard","doi":"10.7577/NJSR.2213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7577/NJSR.2213","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the interplay between different types of knowledge and rationality in care work through a case study of a nursing home innovation project in a Danish municipality. The aim is to understand the implications for innovation processes and dissemination within the context of elder care. Care work, in some sense, relies on relational and contextual knowledge which may lead to challenges when innovation and best practices are to be diffused across organizations. This is especially true since diffusion often relies on codification of practices and knowledge. Caring rationality is essential to how technologies and methods are practiced in the care situation, and thus also essential for best practices and how they are disseminated. However, other types of codified and explicit rationality are equally important. The article concludes that there are several types of knowledge in play in care work practices and innovation, and it indicates that communities of practice could be key to understanding how to share and learn from best practices across organizations.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128998488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aim: In order to improve patient outcomes and minimize health care costs, many Western countries are attempting to reduce the length of stay in hospitals by transferring responsibilities from specialist care to primary care. In Norway, the Coordination Reform was implemented in 2012 to enhance this development. As a result, the number of patients discharged to the municipal health care services has increased significantly. We investigate the extent to which nurses in nursing homes and home care services feel equipped to provide adequate care for patients discharged from hospitals after the reform.Data: Altogether, 1,938 nurses representing around 80% of Norwegian municipalities assessed their experiences of this reform.Results: An increase in the number of poorly functioning patients discharged to the municipality services was reported. Regardless of place of work, concerns were raised about limited resources in terms of personnel, equipment and competence, as well as an increase in hospital readmission rates. Negative reports on care provision for recently discharged patients came most frequently from nurses in municipalities which generally had low incomes, diverted limited resources to the health care sector and relied heavily on home-based care.Conclusion: Insufficient transfer of resources to the home care services may have hampered the ability to fulfil the Coordination Reform’s intentions of providing safe care to patients in their own homes as an alternative to prolonged hospital stays. Due to a marked increase in reported hospital readmissions, it is not obvious that shorter lengths of stays have reduced overall health care costs.
{"title":"Earlier hospital discharge: a challenge for Norwegian municipalities","authors":"Heidi Gautun, A. Syse","doi":"10.7577/NJSR.2204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7577/NJSR.2204","url":null,"abstract":"Aim: In order to improve patient outcomes and minimize health care costs, many Western countries are attempting to reduce the length of stay in hospitals by transferring responsibilities from specialist care to primary care. In Norway, the Coordination Reform was implemented in 2012 to enhance this development. As a result, the number of patients discharged to the municipal health care services has increased significantly. We investigate the extent to which nurses in nursing homes and home care services feel equipped to provide adequate care for patients discharged from hospitals after the reform.Data: Altogether, 1,938 nurses representing around 80% of Norwegian municipalities assessed their experiences of this reform.Results: An increase in the number of poorly functioning patients discharged to the municipality services was reported. Regardless of place of work, concerns were raised about limited resources in terms of personnel, equipment and competence, as well as an increase in hospital readmission rates. Negative reports on care provision for recently discharged patients came most frequently from nurses in municipalities which generally had low incomes, diverted limited resources to the health care sector and relied heavily on home-based care.Conclusion: Insufficient transfer of resources to the home care services may have hampered the ability to fulfil the Coordination Reform’s intentions of providing safe care to patients in their own homes as an alternative to prolonged hospital stays. Due to a marked increase in reported hospital readmissions, it is not obvious that shorter lengths of stays have reduced overall health care costs.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131281139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: In Norway one of three young people drop out of high school. For young people to be on the outside of education or work may develop feelings of isolation and lack of control, resulting in alienation from both authority and community that may further marginalize them. Some develop mental-health problems. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe and interpret the experiences of young persons neither in school nor working who participated in a one-year inclusive-theatre project. The research questions were as follows: How do the participants describe their experiences with inclusive theatre related to self-image? How does participating in inclusive theatre affect their social belonging and participation? Method: Three multi-stage focus-group interviews with participants were carried out. The data material was analysed with thematic content analysis. Findings: The main theme was ‘a changed self-image’ and four sub-themes emerged: ‘increased self-confidence’, ‘increased ability to cope’, ‘responsibility’, and ‘connectedness to others and society’. Conclusion: Through increased self-esteem, the participants explored opportunities to form their own development and to find a way to pursue their goals as part of society. They dared to meet the challenges which had provided them with good experiences and a more meaningful life. They went through a social process of empowerment where there was the recognition, promotion, and strengthening of their ability to satisfy their own needs, involving a mobilization of the necessary resources in order to feel in control of their own lives. They began to believe in a future with education, work, and friends.
{"title":"‘I dare’: experiences of young adults at risk participating in a one-year inclusive-theatre project in Norway","authors":"Ellen Andvig, J. K. Hummelvoll","doi":"10.15845/njsr.v7i0.873","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15845/njsr.v7i0.873","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: In Norway one of three young people drop out of high school. For young people to be on the outside of education or work may develop feelings of isolation and lack of control, resulting in alienation from both authority and community that may further marginalize them. Some develop mental-health problems. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe and interpret the experiences of young persons neither in school nor working who participated in a one-year inclusive-theatre project. The research questions were as follows: How do the participants describe their experiences with inclusive theatre related to self-image? How does participating in inclusive theatre affect their social belonging and participation? Method: Three multi-stage focus-group interviews with participants were carried out. The data material was analysed with thematic content analysis. Findings: The main theme was ‘a changed self-image’ and four sub-themes emerged: ‘increased self-confidence’, ‘increased ability to cope’, ‘responsibility’, and ‘connectedness to others and society’. Conclusion: Through increased self-esteem, the participants explored opportunities to form their own development and to find a way to pursue their goals as part of society. They dared to meet the challenges which had provided them with good experiences and a more meaningful life. They went through a social process of empowerment where there was the recognition, promotion, and strengthening of their ability to satisfy their own needs, involving a mobilization of the necessary resources in order to feel in control of their own lives. They began to believe in a future with education, work, and friends.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124062165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The aim of this article is to address a much-neglected aspect of collaborative innovational analysis: the power of individual action in the conversion of innovative ideas to local practice. The theoretical framework for the empirical analysis comes from the existing literature on power, collaborative innovation, and public-sector entrepreneurs. On the basis of an in-depth single-case study, this article highlights how one enthusiastic person can acquire a power base that is strong enough to realize her innovational efforts. Overall, this article emphasizes that collaborative innovation can create opportunities for single individuals who have the will and the energy required to innovate. Moreover, it illustrates that the power of such enthusiastic individuals is an important driving force in innovational processes.
{"title":"The power of enthusiasm in collaborative innovation: a case study of the power of individual action in the establishment of a local medical centre in Norway","authors":"Siv Magnussen","doi":"10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.911","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.911","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this article is to address a much-neglected aspect of collaborative innovational analysis: the power of individual action in the conversion of innovative ideas to local practice. The theoretical framework for the empirical analysis comes from the existing literature on power, collaborative innovation, and public-sector entrepreneurs. On the basis of an in-depth single-case study, this article highlights how one enthusiastic person can acquire a power base that is strong enough to realize her innovational efforts. Overall, this article emphasizes that collaborative innovation can create opportunities for single individuals who have the will and the energy required to innovate. Moreover, it illustrates that the power of such enthusiastic individuals is an important driving force in innovational processes.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"2 6","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132610632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Welfare recipients are continuously subjected to media debates and governmental campaigns drawing on images and symbols encouraging improved work ethic and individual responsibility. Only few studies, however, have analysed how welfare recipients as ‘othered’ citizens react to these often stereotypical symbols and images targeting them. In this study we have investigated how welfare recipients in Norway and Denmark, and caseworkers in Denmark, understand and account for images which, through the use of stereotypes, directly or indirectly may question welfare recipients’ work ethic and deservedness. Analysing photo-elicitation interview data, we have uncovered a variety of reactions characterized by ‘problematization’. The interviewees problematize the image and depicted stereotypes, which they link both with motif and symbols and with surrounding public debates on the work ethic and deservedness of welfare recipients. Furthermore, as photo-elicitation is a rarely used tool in welfare research, we address methodological aspects of using photo-elicitation in a study of ‘othered’ welfare recipients.
{"title":"Depicted welfare-recipient stereotypes in Norway and Denmark: a photo-elicitation study","authors":"Sofie Dencker-Larsen, K. Lundberg","doi":"10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.866","url":null,"abstract":"Welfare recipients are continuously subjected to media debates and governmental campaigns drawing on images and symbols encouraging improved work ethic and individual responsibility. Only few studies, however, have analysed how welfare recipients as ‘othered’ citizens react to these often stereotypical symbols and images targeting them. In this study we have investigated how welfare recipients in Norway and Denmark, and caseworkers in Denmark, understand and account for images which, through the use of stereotypes, directly or indirectly may question welfare recipients’ work ethic and deservedness. Analysing photo-elicitation interview data, we have uncovered a variety of reactions characterized by ‘problematization’. The interviewees problematize the image and depicted stereotypes, which they link both with motif and symbols and with surrounding public debates on the work ethic and deservedness of welfare recipients. Furthermore, as photo-elicitation is a rarely used tool in welfare research, we address methodological aspects of using photo-elicitation in a study of ‘othered’ welfare recipients.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131937318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores whether and how the neo-liberal ideology has adapted to the Nordic welfare model by studying the attitudes of voters and grass-roots members of the Danish party Liberal Alliance towards the welfare state. This inquiry into one of the key issues for the neo-liberal ideology is inspired by theory on how an ideology will adapt to its context. The expectation outlined in the article is for the neo-liberals of this party to favour features that make the Nordic welfare model distinctive – extensive governmental responsibility, especially for children and the elderly, and a universalistic approach to providing welfare. I have explored this question using a mixed-methods approach, where I analyse a survey of voters and interviews with grass-roots members of the party. Combined this shows that the neo-liberals in Liberal Alliance do support a role for the welfare state that extends beyond a minimum welfare state, especially for the care of children, but they view old age and retirement mostly as a problem each individual must deal with. Regarding the universalistic approach to providing welfare, the neo-liberals seem torn between two different tendencies, one being a perception of a fair way to provide welfare and the other the idea of a selective welfare state as a neo-liberal core idea, which leads to ambivalent attitudes. I argue that this results in a form of the neo-liberal ideology that has adapted to the Nordic welfare model.
{"title":"Neo-liberalism and the Nordic welfare model: a study of the Liberal Alliance and ideological adaptation in Denmark","authors":"T. Hedegaard","doi":"10.7577/NJSR.2099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7577/NJSR.2099","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores whether and how the neo-liberal ideology has adapted to the Nordic welfare model by studying the attitudes of voters and grass-roots members of the Danish party Liberal Alliance towards the welfare state. This inquiry into one of the key issues for the neo-liberal ideology is inspired by theory on how an ideology will adapt to its context. The expectation outlined in the article is for the neo-liberals of this party to favour features that make the Nordic welfare model distinctive – extensive governmental responsibility, especially for children and the elderly, and a universalistic approach to providing welfare. I have explored this question using a mixed-methods approach, where I analyse a survey of voters and interviews with grass-roots members of the party. Combined this shows that the neo-liberals in Liberal Alliance do support a role for the welfare state that extends beyond a minimum welfare state, especially for the care of children, but they view old age and retirement mostly as a problem each individual must deal with. Regarding the universalistic approach to providing welfare, the neo-liberals seem torn between two different tendencies, one being a perception of a fair way to provide welfare and the other the idea of a selective welfare state as a neo-liberal core idea, which leads to ambivalent attitudes. I argue that this results in a form of the neo-liberal ideology that has adapted to the Nordic welfare model.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133066890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
There has been an increased interest in Housing First services in Sweden over the past few years. The model was first developed in New York by the organization Pathways to Housing. The growing interest in Housing First as a response to ending long-term homelessness is seen not only in the US and Canada, but also in Europe. One reason for this is the mass of evidence showing high housing retention rates with Housing First services as compared with traditional services. This article aims to analyse the drivers and barriers that hinder or facilitate the scaling up of Housing First pilots. The research question is: Is it possible to incorporate lessons learned from the Housing First pilot into the existing system of homelessness services? In other words: Is it possible to put new wine into old bottles? This is an ongoing research project on Housing First services in Sweden, with the specific focus on the Housing First pilot in the city of Helsingborg. The empirical material consists of in-depth interviews and focus group interviews with project managers, support workers and other stakeholders. The main results show that leadership is essential and a key driver for the scaling-up process. Another driver is the importance of repeating the vision and goals of the idea to keep the story alive. A third key driver is that the staff has identified the Housing First approach as a relative advantage and believes in the idea. The main barrier to the scaling-up process lies in the structures that maintain and surround the social housing programme.
{"title":"Scaling Up Housing First Pilots – Drivers and Barriers","authors":"Marcus Knutagård","doi":"10.7577/NJSR.2175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7577/NJSR.2175","url":null,"abstract":"There has been an increased interest in Housing First services in Sweden over the past few years. The model was first developed in New York by the organization Pathways to Housing. The growing interest in Housing First as a response to ending long-term homelessness is seen not only in the US and Canada, but also in Europe. One reason for this is the mass of evidence showing high housing retention rates with Housing First services as compared with traditional services. This article aims to analyse the drivers and barriers that hinder or facilitate the scaling up of Housing First pilots. The research question is: Is it possible to incorporate lessons learned from the Housing First pilot into the existing system of homelessness services? In other words: Is it possible to put new wine into old bottles? \u0000This is an ongoing research project on Housing First services in Sweden, with the specific focus on the Housing First pilot in the city of Helsingborg. The empirical material consists of in-depth interviews and focus group interviews with project managers, support workers and other stakeholders. The main results show that leadership is essential and a key driver for the scaling-up process. Another driver is the importance of repeating the vision and goals of the idea to keep the story alive. A third key driver is that the staff has identified the Housing First approach as a relative advantage and believes in the idea. The main barrier to the scaling-up process lies in the structures that maintain and surround the social housing programme.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124021499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this article, I discuss how Foucault may help us to reach a different understanding of special education. This article primarily draws on two analytical tools from Foucault’s ‘toolbox’: genealogy and governmentality. These tools are used to analyse three different cases of intelligence testing from the debate concerning the Swedish school organization in the early twentieth century. It is possible to see intelligence-quotient (IQ) testing as an overarching tool for controlling social behaviour. Intelligence-quotient testing was an important tool of power, with the aim of establishing certain regimes of truth on a societal as well as on an individual level. This article shows through a Foucauldian analysis that we should be careful in interpreting this entirely as an expression of state power from above or as different experts’ intentions. Rather, by using a genealogical approach, we can attempt to (re)write the history of interpretations, or problematizations, and then we can utilize a perspective of governmentality that focuses on the techniques and their effects.
{"title":"Intelligence testing, ethnicity, and construction of the deviant child: Foucault and special education in Sweden","authors":"Thomas Axelsson","doi":"10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.900","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.900","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, I discuss how Foucault may help us to reach a different understanding of special education. This article primarily draws on two analytical tools from Foucault’s ‘toolbox’: genealogy and governmentality. These tools are used to analyse three different cases of intelligence testing from the debate concerning the Swedish school organization in the early twentieth century. It is possible to see intelligence-quotient (IQ) testing as an overarching tool for controlling social behaviour. Intelligence-quotient testing was an important tool of power, with the aim of establishing certain regimes of truth on a societal as well as on an individual level. This article shows through a Foucauldian analysis that we should be careful in interpreting this entirely as an expression of state power from above or as different experts’ intentions. Rather, by using a genealogical approach, we can attempt to (re)write the history of interpretations, or problematizations, and then we can utilize a perspective of governmentality that focuses on the techniques and their effects.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130340446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article examines the constructions of the deviant subject in Danish Foucauldian educational research. Following the work of Foucault, we argue that the deviant subject, on the one hand, could be considered as a subject of exemption. In this case, exemption is deduced from Foucault’s understanding of the relation between normality and deviancy. On the other hand, an examination of Danish Foucauldian disability research shows that this conception of ‘the deviant subject’ has changed over time. Hence, the present expectations of ‘the disabled’ are – more or less – influenced by contemporary discourses of general education. Thus, this article argues that Foucauldian disability studies could benefit from taking into account Foucauldian research in the field of general education. Until recently, the two research fields have been mutually isolated.
{"title":"The subject of exemption: through discourses of normalization and individualization in Denmark","authors":"Bjørn Hamre, Tine Fristrup, Gerda Christensen","doi":"10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15845/NJSR.V7I0.899","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the constructions of the deviant subject in Danish Foucauldian educational research. Following the work of Foucault, we argue that the deviant subject, on the one hand, could be considered as a subject of exemption. In this case, exemption is deduced from Foucault’s understanding of the relation between normality and deviancy. On the other hand, an examination of Danish Foucauldian disability research shows that this conception of ‘the deviant subject’ has changed over time. Hence, the present expectations of ‘the disabled’ are – more or less – influenced by contemporary discourses of general education. Thus, this article argues that Foucauldian disability studies could benefit from taking into account Foucauldian research in the field of general education. Until recently, the two research fields have been mutually isolated.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129102080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
‘Inclusive education’ and ‘democracy’ are more than buzzwords in education. They refer to official educational policy in much of the western world. Democracy as a school policy seems to be widely accepted while inclusive education is more controversial, sometimes fuelling lively public debates where parents and politicians are vocal. However, there seems to be little agreement on what ‘inclusive education’ means, although one can discern a certain core to the understanding of ‘inclusive education’ among many of those who participate in the public debate. Central to the above understanding of inclusive education and democracy are certain features that I want to draw attention to. First, what falls under the headings ‘democracy in schools’, ‘democratic education’ or ‘student democracy’, on the one hand, and ‘inclusive education’, on the other, have little to do with one another. I discuss how the medical gaze in the context of education belongs to the dominant ideology of the time and is thus prevailing without ever having to be argued for or defended. The consequence of this is, as I see it, that education (which sometimes is more training than growth) is being cast in pathological terms. I connect the idea of transgression to that of democratic school and character. Transgression is relevant in two ways here. The school has to be a place where transgression is encouraged and, secondly, it is a place where transgression is valued as a democratic virtue. Virtue here could, I think, be understood in Aristotelian terms – or even given a Socratic interpretation.
{"title":"Democratic and Inclusive Education in Iceland: Transgression and the Medical Gaze","authors":"Ó. Jónsson","doi":"10.7577/NJSR.2097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7577/NJSR.2097","url":null,"abstract":"‘Inclusive education’ and ‘democracy’ are more than buzzwords in education. They refer to official educational policy in much of the western world. Democracy as a school policy seems to be widely accepted while inclusive education is more controversial, sometimes fuelling lively public debates where parents and politicians are vocal. However, there seems to be little agreement on what ‘inclusive education’ means, although one can discern a certain core to the understanding of ‘inclusive education’ among many of those who participate in the public debate. Central to the above understanding of inclusive education and democracy are certain features that I want to draw attention to. First, what falls under the headings ‘democracy in schools’, ‘democratic education’ or ‘student democracy’, on the one hand, and ‘inclusive education’, on the other, have little to do with one another. I discuss how the medical gaze in the context of education belongs to the dominant ideology of the time and is thus prevailing without ever having to be argued for or defended. The consequence of this is, as I see it, that education (which sometimes is more training than growth) is being cast in pathological terms. I connect the idea of transgression to that of democratic school and character. Transgression is relevant in two ways here. The school has to be a place where transgression is encouraged and, secondly, it is a place where transgression is valued as a democratic virtue. Virtue here could, I think, be understood in Aristotelian terms – or even given a Socratic interpretation.","PeriodicalId":207067,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Social Research","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129874866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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