From Socialdemocracy to Neoliberalism : A discourse analisys of the Swedish student in the 21st century

Since the 1970’s Swedish school politics has changed a lot. In this text I examine how it haschanged, why it changed as well as how the changes affected Swedish society in general. I haveidentified several keywords from which I study and analyze the discourse surrounding Swedishschools. This analysis is focused, primarily, on how the discourse relates to students. I havealso to a lesser extent studied its impacts on other people involved in schoolwork and business.In my studies I have found that much of Swedish discourse surrounding schools and schoolworkhas changed because of a wider change in Swedish politics as a whole. Since the 90’s Swedenhas seen an increased neoliberal presence in its political sphere. This influx of neoliberalthought has in some ways replaced previously held social democratic values and views. I foundthis to be illustrated clearly in my study of the keywords I had identified. Much of our modernschool discourse if focused on individualism and forming students to a neoliberal ideal. This isconcealed in the guise of focusing on equality.I found that this disguising of neoliberal ideals as older social democratic ideas had arisenbecause of Swedish neoliberal focus on the school system. Why neoliberals focus on the schoolsystem I do not know. But I found it to be evident based on my analysis that increasingneoliberal influence has led to large changes within the Swedish school system.I use these finding as a foundation for a discussion on how this neoliberal influence can be seenthrough the theory and methodology of discourse analysis and what it implies for Swedishsociety as a whole