Dissent and Harmonies: On Literature Education, Democracy and Agonism

Abstract in English

This thesis is an exploration of the relationship between literature education and democracy. The aim of the thesis is to develop an understanding of literature education as a possible space for democracy. I develop this understanding theoretically by turning to agonistic theory, to theory of performative emotions, to theory of school as free time, and to theory of literary attunement. I also develop this understanding empirically, by turning to two classes in upper secondary school and their L1 Swedish teachers.

Two collaborative projects were conducted at two different schools, in two classes in their last year of upper secondary school. In the first collaboration, a teacher and her students read and discussed the play Miss Julie by August Strindberg. In the second collaboration, another teacher and his students read and discussed the short story “Farangs” by Rattawut Lapcharoensap. When designing the teaching, the teachers and I intended for the classroom to become an arena of democratic conflict, in which there is space for dissent. In the thesis, I contrast a socialising focus in democratic literature education to a subjectivating focus. Rather than viewing literature education as a space that fosters democratic citizens, I explore the classroom as a space that has the potential to become democratic in itself, at least momentarily.

The thesis comprises four articles. In the first article (I), didactic conditions for agonistic literature discussions are formulated, in light of the classroom conversation on Miss Julie. The second article (II) centres on political emotions, particularly the performative role of emotion in the discussion on “Farangs”. In the third article (III), the relevance of Mouffean agonistic theory to education is informed by Masschelein and Simons’ theory of school as ‘free time’. School is therefore not viewed as preparation for a pre-set mode of future societal participation, but as time freed for the next generation to form their generation. The fourth and last article (IV) combines the concept of ‘free time’ with Felski’s concept attunement, to suggest a way of understanding the teaching of literature as a place of becoming, individually and collectively, in relation to the literary text. Collective identity formation in relation to the literary text is discussed in terms of democratic moments.