Drama och teater i svensk kulturskola – med demokrati som klangbotten

Abstract

This article discusses drama and theatre in the Swedish schools of arts and how the education may influence students from a perspective of democracy, based on the educators’ view of their subject. Drama and theatre are to be viewed as a distinct group activity in the schools of arts, which gives students many opportunities to participate in democratic processes. The article explores how educators describe their own teaching and how they relate to such processes. Data from a large survey aimed at educators in drama and theatre in Swedish schools of arts are illuminated by Dewey’s concepts of intelligent action and the common good. The results show that the nature of the teaching in many ways corresponds to intelligent action since drama and theatre provide rich opportunities for reflection in action. According to the educators, one of the aims of their teaching is to develop democratic citizens. Democratic aspects are woven into the educator’s relationship to the group and each individual participant, which is an important aspect of Dewey’s concept the common good. On the other hand, educators see it as a challenge to respond to individuals with special needs. Most of the previous studies of drama and theatre in the schools of arts, as well as the survey study on which this text is based, have primarily taken on the educators’ perspective. We believe that it is of utmost importance that children’s own voices are given space in continued research on an activity they themselves have chosen to perform in their spare time, in a context where they are both students and co-creative agents.