The significance of Nordic popular education for democracy and culture practice

The Nordic popular education tradition, with folk high schools and study associations, is often pointed out as a regional characteristic with great significance for the development of democracy in this part of the world. Research on popular education has a long history in the Nordic countries.

However, it has been characterized by a national focus, despite similar popular education activities occurring in neighboring countries.

This project aims to create a long-term sustainable infrastructure for Nordic research collaboration to promote and develop research on popular education in the Nordic countries, especially comparative studies.

This will be achieved by:Establishing a biennial Nordic conference for researchers and research-interested practitioners in the field of popular education.Identifying and analyzing existing routines and standards for activity reporting and statistical development regarding the popular education sectors in the Nordic countries and compiling a report that can facilitate the planning and design of comparative studies.Developing two comparative research proposals focusing on specific popular educational activities in the Nordic countries and their significance for democracy and cultural practices.Developing a research training course on Nordic popular education in dialogue with researchers in the network, especially with the aim of stimulating comparative perspectives.