Myten om Grundtvigs indflydelse på den danske folkeskole

Resumé

Myten om Grundtvigs indflydelse på den danske folkeskole

Thorstein Johannes Balle

The Myth of Grundtvig’s Impact on the Danish Public School

It is often said that the ideologies of N.F.S. Grundtvig deeply impacted the development of Danish society and the identities of Danish people. This article deals with a specific part of Grundtvig’s thinking and how it affected the formation of the Danish public school (the so-called “folkeskole”) which figures into societal and individual notions of Danishness. By interviewing twenty influential figures who have had central roles in discussions about the Danish school, the author observes that conceptions of—rather than facts about—Grundtvig’s ideas and their influence come to dominate. The author proposes that these conceptions might be thought of collectively as a “myth” because they are based on a pre-understanding or ideological tendency that rules society, rather than any direct knowledge about Grundtvig, his thoughts, or his writings. The author discusses the power of this myth and the role it plays in how the school leaders and members see its role and function in society. His conclusion is that the myth of Grundtvig’s impact on the development and daily life of the Danish folkeskole has a greater impact on the development and daily life of the Danish folkeskole than Grundtvig’s actual ideas, as recorded in his writings.