FOLKBIBLIOTEK MAKT OCH DISCIPLINERING Dan Andersson

233 Pages·2009·1.16 MB·Swedish

FOLKBIBLIOTEK MAKT OCH DISCIPLINERING
Dan Andersson

FOLKBIBLIOTEK MAKT OCH DI-
SCIPLINERING
En genealogisk studie av folkbiblioteksområdet under den organisera-
de moderniteten
Dan Andersson
© Dan Andersson, Stockholm 2009

ISSN 1104-1625-163
ISBN 978-91-7155-951-7

Tryckt i Sverige av Elanders Sverige AB, Stockholm 2009
Distributör: Pedagogiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet

Till minne av professor
Kenneth Hultqvist

Abstract

During the first decade of the twenties century the Swedish public libraries´
were became an institution for general education with a mission to educate
the Swedish people. The aim of this study is to enhance the knowledge of the
construction of the Swedish citizen within the public library field. What
were the functions and the possible influences of the educational efforts that
the public library institution directed towards the Swedish population during
the period of 1910 to 1990? What procedures, technologies and techniques
were used, what impact was inherent and how did they govern and shape the
citizen?
The study is based on historical documents, monographs, handbooks,
textbooks used in educational settings, articles, statistics, material produced
by central and local agents addressing issues related the public libraries and
its role in general education. Inspired by the work of Michel Foucault the
library discourse is examined from a genealogical perspective searching
statements that is illuminating discursive and non-discursive apparatuses,
technologies and relations of power within the public library practices. As a
complementation an analysis of the origin of the library apparatus has been
carried out.
The analysis shows that the apparatus within field of public library were
forming an organization divided into national, regional and local library
units with different activities. The national library units were given the over-
all responsibility for library technology, education, information and econom-
ic means, thus governing the regional and local libraries to appropriate activ-
ities (books, method for studies, and so on). The local libraries were, on the
other hand, given the responsibility to offer the citizens appropriate books
and methods for general studies. The citizen constructed by local library
activities could be described as active, accountable, capable of making
choices and willing to develop her self during the lifetime preferably by self
studies and consumption of books, fiction and non-fiction. The conclusion is
that a citizen consuming knowledge and high culture corresponds well to the
requirements of the modern society.
The library apparatuses were inherent with sets of techniques and power
technologies that were exerting specific influence on the actors´ acting and
being (library staff, library users); establishing books and studies that were
considered as appropriate for the citizen. Bio-power technologies and discip-
linary techniques, such as panoptical, experts´ strategies and central govern-
ing were in use. The expert strategies (limited selections, exclusions, rating
based on hierarchical principles, govern at distance, self-regulation) are the
most important and common not only within the field of public library but in
society as a whole.
Keywords: History of public library and general education, power,
socialisation, genealogical analyses, socaial practice, discourse.