The State, Schooling and Identity - Diversifying Education in Europe

This book offers insights into the relationship between nation-state and education by problematizing and analyzing the assumed straightforwardness of the role of education and schooling.


Placing the issue in very contemporary contested nation-state structures like Scotland, Catalonia, Ukraine and Belgium.  These conflict situations and contested power relations are in a way some of Europe's internal North-South struggles. In addition, the particular Nordic North-South example of the Saami with their status as indigenous people recognized in international law is viewed in terms of their educational struggle for better consideration of their cultural features in Saami land crossing the Nordic states. The book focuses on the Nordic countries, often viewed as globally exemplary in their educational arrangements, but casts deeper insight into Nordic education and points to problematic schooling issues in Northern Europe. This volume presents somewhat unexpected views on European educational arrangements with regard to the European growing diversity.

Kari Kantasalmi is Head of Research Affairs, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki. With a cross disciplinary research profile, focusing on boundary issues in organization of education and schooling, he is currently a vice-president for Europe in Research Committee on sociology of education in the International Sociological Association (ISA). 

Gunilla Holm is Professor of Education in the Institute of Behavioural Sciences at the University of Helsinki and director of the Nordic Centre of Excellence in Education 'Justice through Education'. Her research interests are focused on photography as a data collection method as well as on issues in education related to educational justice, race, ethnicity, class, and gender.