How Swedish primary school textbooks create ideas about society

By Emilia Aldrin

School textbooks do more than teach subject contents such as reading, mathematics, or social science. They also tell children something about the world they live in – as well as who matters in that world, and which names are considered appropriate for different identities.

In a recent project, I examined Swedish textbooks published between the 1920s and the 2010s to explore how personal names, language, and images have been used to represent different social groups. The study focused on age, gender, and cultural diversity, and investigated how these identity representations changed over nearly a century. The project was called Namn, normer och identiteter i skolans läromedel [Names, norms and identities in educational resources] and is now published in print and online in Acta Academiae Regiae Gustavi Adolphi (172) with an extensive English summary.

The use of names has often been overlooked in educational research, but this study shows that they play a powerful role in shaping ideas about various groups of people in societies. Naming someone gives them visibility, status and can signal who is considered important enough to remember. In addition, specific personal name types (first names, surnames, nicknames, titles etc) encourage specific relationships between readers and characters. Furthermore, certain names evoke social or cultural connotations that connect characters to a range of meanings and lived experiences.

Personal naming patterns in the Swedish textbooks reveal major shifts over time. Forms of reference moved from highly formalized forms (often including surnames) to more informal usage (often using only first names). The presentation of individuals with both name and visualization increased, underlining stronger personalization. In the 1920s, adults dominated among named characters in the texts, while children were largely invisible. By the 1950s, children had become central and recurring characters, reflecting changing ideas about childhood and education. Later textbooks increasingly portrayed children as active and independent individuals rather than passive recipients of adult guidance, which was evident through the use of verb processes connected to named individuals.

Gender representation also changed dramatically over the studied time period. Early textbooks focused overwhelmingly on men, leaving women unnamed and invisible. This was followed by an extensive portrayal of girls and women in house keeping roles only, while boys and men were portrayed in a wider range of situations – and consistently mentioned before females in group settings. By the 1980s, women and girls had become much more visible and varyingly portrayed. Some textbooks at this point also challenged traditional gender stereotypes and displayed gender vagueness, both visually and through unisex name usage. However, the study also found that gender equality progress slowed in textbooks from the latest studied decade (the 2010’s), with a return of gender segregation and men still receiving more attention than women.

Cultural diversity followed a similar pattern. Textbooks from the early twentieth century presented Sweden as a highly homogeneous society. Although diversity became more visible through name usage from the 1980s onwards, the cultural scope remained rather limited and to a large extent focused on (Western) European languages. The Swedish national minority groups were seldom individualized through naming. In the 2010’s textbooks the culturally marked names were primarily connected to Arabic and male characters. In addition, people carrying these names were often only mentioned but not constructed as actors in the text, and often portrayed from a distant outside rather than an inside perspective.

So, what kinds of names were used for characters in the textbooks? Each time period showed specific name trends, with some names being repeatedly used and seemingly established as ”typical textbook names”. In the 1950’s textbooks the most common names for child characters were Karin and Stig, while in the 1980’s textbooks they were Mia and Kalle. The correlation with contemporary broader naming trends in the Swedish society increased over time, as well as the variation among name types. The most recent textbooks from the 2010’s displayed a significant multitude of various first names, which is shown in the image.

The study also identified examples of what I call “progressive meaning-making”. This is representations that encourage inclusion, empathy, and new ways of imagining society. For example, gender-neutral names, name inventions and unconventional combinations of meanings and multimodal attributes were shown to be used in ways that may contribute to reflective thinking. However, more research is needed to understand the impact of textbook naming practices for pupils and teachers in the complex process of teaching and learning.

The overall story is one of gradual change. Swedish textbooks have moved from hierarchy and exclusion towards greater diversity and inclusion. Yet, even the most recent textbooks still contain limitations and biases. My hope is that understanding how names, images, and language work together can help create future educational materials that let more children envisage the Swedish society – and their own role in it – in constructive, transformative and hopefull ways. An important finding is that many textbooks use visualizations more progressively than naming strategies. This points to ample opportunities for further development, and I hope this study can contribute to that.