I am a PhD candidate in History and Education with a focus on the history of elementary school teachers in Sweden
In my research, I examine the emergence of the first elementary school teachers' associations and teachers' journals in Sweden 1838 - 1880 with a focus on the teachers' collective action and collective identity. I want to understand this development partly in its social, political and religious context, partly in the light of current educational and professional historical research.
The purpose of the research is to create an understanding of the rise of the teacher corps as a professional community which, through the formation of Sveriges allmänna folkskollärarförening (SAF) in 1880 and its development into what is today Lärarförbundet, has become an important actor in the design of the modern school system.