"Låtom oss enligt gammal bömisk sed kasta ut dem genom fönstret!" : Historieläroböcker ur ett berättelseperspektiv

This thesis deals with the question of how and to what degree Swedish history books for schools changed between the early 20th century and the 1960s. The theoretical foundation for this study is a perspective which treats historical accounts as narratives, bringing meaning and orientation to the present. According to this perspective, historical accounts may be divided into four different types of narratives, traditional, exemplary, critical and genetical. The basis for this division is how the narratives use the past to make the present understandable. The following conclusions are reached: That Swedish history books for schools have changed less, and in a moore gradual way than those dealing with general history. There is a growing use of genetical narratives at the expense of mainly exemplary ones. Also over time there is a tendency towards variance in narrative form. The most significant dimension of change is in regards to the presentation of specific historical epochs within the books, not of the books as a whole