Social Pedagogy in Finland and Sweden: a comparative analysis

Juha Hämäläinen; Lisberth Eriksson

doi:10.7179/PSRI_2016.27.05

Authors

Juha Hämäläinen University of Eastern Finland (Finlandia)
Lisberth Eriksson Dep. Of Behavioural Sciences amd Learning, Linköping University, Sweden

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7179/PSRI_2016.27.05

Keywords:

social pedagogy, cross-national research, comparative social work, Finland, Sweden

Abstract

Discussing how the concept of social pedagogy has been used in Finland and Sweden, this paper provides a historical and systemic comparison of policies and practices of social pedagogy in these two countries. The main aim is to identify and explain the main similarities and differences between the Finnish and Swedish national trajectories of social pedagogical thinking and action. In the first phase of the analysis, country-specific features of social pedagogy were described paying attention to historical and structural aspects. In the second phase, these descriptions were compared in a dialogue between the au- thors, one from Finland and the other from Sweden. The dialogue-based comparison was targeted to ex- plain the identified similar and different features of social pedagogical policies and practices. The explanation was based on historical and systemic considerations, especially those of historical development, research activities, theory buildings, methodologies and techniques, professionalization and the practice fields, and the future prospects of social pedagogy.

The analysis showed that the historical roots and theoretical foundations of social pedagogical think- ing and action are very similar in Finland and Sweden but the position of social pedagogy as an academic discipline as well as a field of practice is partly different. Since social pedagogy has not been acknowl- edged as an academic discipline in Sweden, its outlook as a field of practice is on shaky ground, while in Finland the future of social pedagogy as an academic discipline is uncertain because the social-peda- gogical know-how based on academic education is not well known and has not found general acceptance in the field’s practice.

The analysis showed that the historical roots and theoretical foundations of social pedagogical thinking and action are very similar in Finland and Sweden but the position of social pedagogy as an academic discipline as well as a field of practice is partly different. Since social pedagogy has not been acknowledged as an academic discipline in Sweden, its outlook as a field of practice is on shaky ground, while in Finland the future of social pedagogy as an academic discipline is uncertain because the social pedagogical know-how based on academic education is not well known and has not found general acceptance in the field’s practice.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Juha Hämäläinen , University of Eastern Finland (Finlandia)

PhD (Soc.Sc.), is Professor of Social Work, especially Social Pedagogy, and Head of the Department
of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. His research and teaching interests are in the history of
ideas of social pedagogy and social work; ethical and theoretical issues in social pedagogy and social work; cross-national
comparative analysis; child welfare, youth, and parenthood research

Lisberth Eriksson , Dep. Of Behavioural Sciences amd Learning, Linköping University, Sweden

PhD (Pedagogy/Learning.), Associate professor in Pedagogy/Learning in Linköping University, Sweden

References

Brydon, K. (2012). Promoting diversity or confirming hegemony? In search of new insights for social work. International Social Work, 55 (2), 155–167.

Erath, P. (2012). Sozialarbeit in Europa. Fachliche Dialoge und transnationale Entwicklungen. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. [Social Work in Europe. Technical Dialogues and Transnational Developments].

Eriksson, L. (2006). “Socialpedagoger utan gränser” – en studie om socialpedagogiska innebörder. Linköping: Skapande vetande nr 47.

Eriksson, L., & Winman, T. (2010). Learning to Fly. Social Pedagogy in a Contemporary Society. Gothen- burg: Daidalos.

Eriksson, L. (2011). Community development and social pedagogy: traditions for understanding mobi- lization for collective self-development. Community Development Journal, 46 (4), 403–420.

Eriksson, L. (2014). The understandings of social pedagogy from Northern European perspectives. Journal of Social Work, 14 (2), 165–182.

Eriksson, L., & Markström, A. (2009). Social pedagogy in a Swedish context. In Kornbeck, Jacob & Rosendal Jensen, Niels (eds.) The Diversity of Social Pedagogy in Europe. Studies in Comparative Social Pedagogies and International Social Work and Social Policy. Vol VII. Bremen: Europäischer Hochschulverlag.

Eriksson, L., Nilsson, G., & Svensson, L. A. (eds.) (2013). Gemenskaper. Socialpedagogiska perspektiv. Göteborg: Daidalos. [Communities. A Social pedagogical perspective].

Gustavsson, A., Hermansson, H., & Hämäläinen, J. (eds.) (2003). Perspectives and Theory in Social Ped- agogy. Gothenburg: Daidalos.

Hämäläinen, J. (2012a). Social pedagogical eyes in the midst of diverse understandings, conceptual- izations and activities. International Journal of Social Pedagogy, 1 (1), 3–16.

Hämäläinen, J. (2012b). Social pedagogy in Finland. Criminology & Social Integration Journal, 20 (1), 95–104.

Hämäläinen, J. (2014a). Comparative research in social work: methodological considerations using the ‘diachronic–synchronic’ distinction in linguistics. European Journal of Social Work. 17 (2), 192–205.

Hämäläinen, J. (2014b). Developing social pedagogy as an academic discipline and professional practice: Learning from the Finnish Experience. Journal of the Research on Lifelong Learning and Career Ed- ucation, 10, 53–68.

Hämäläinen, J. (2015). Defining social pedagogy: historical, theoretical and practical considerations. British Journal of Social Work. 45 (3). 1022-1038 .doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bct174.

Kornbeck, J., & Rosendal Jensen, N. (eds.) (2009). The Diversity of Social Pedagogy in Europe. Studies in Com- parative Social Pedagogies and International Social Work and Social Policy. Vol VII. Bremen: Europäischer Hochschulverlag.

Koskenniemi, M. (1952). Sosiaalinen kasvatus koulussa. Helsinki: Otava. [Social education in school].

Kurki, L. (2000). Sosiokulttuurinen inostaminen. Muutoksen pedagogiikka. Tampere: Vastapaino. [Socio-cul-tural animation. Pedagogy of change]

Kurki, L. (2002). Persoona ja yhteisö. Personalistinen sosiaalipedagogiikka. Jyväskylä: SoPhi. [Person and community. Personalistic social pedagogy]

Kurki, L., Kurki-Suutarinen, M., & Taruvuori, K. (2010). Muurien sisällä: sosiokulttuurinen innostaminen vankilassa. Tampere: Tampere University Press. [Inside the walls: socio cultural animation in prison]

Lorenz, W. (2004). Towards a European Paradigm of Social Work – Studies in the history of modes of social work and social policy in Europe. Inaugural dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doctor philosophiae (DPhil) an der Fakultät Erziehungswissenschaften der Technischen Universität Dresden. Retrieved from http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/ebook/dissts/Dresden/Lorenz2005.pdf

Lorenz, W. (2008). Paradigms and politics: Understanding methods paradigms in an historical context: The case of social pedagogy. British Journal of Social Work, 38 (4), 624–644.

Madsen, B. (2006). Socialpedagogik. Integration och inklusion i det moderna samhället. Lund: Studentlitter- atur. [Social pedagogy. Integration and inclusion in the modern society].

Markström, A-M., & Münger, A-C. (2010). Socialpedagogiska institutioner för barn i tid och rum. In L. Eriksson, H-E. Hermansson & A-C. Münger (Eds.). Socialpedagogik och samhällsförståelse. Teori och praktik i so- cialpedagogisk forskning. Stockholm/Stehag: Brutus Östlings Bokförlag Symposion AB. [Socio-pedagog- ical Institutions for Children in Time and Space]

Meeuwisse, A., & Swärd, H. (2007). Cross-national comparisons of social work – a question of initial assump- tions and levels of analysis. European Journal of Social Work. 10 (4), 481–496.

Nieminen, A. (1955). Mitä on sosiaalipolitiikka? Porvoo: [What is social policy?].

Niemelä, S. (2011). Sivistyminen. Sivistystarve, -pedagogiikka ja -politiikka pohjoismaisessa kansansivistystra- ditiossa. Snellman-instituutin A-sarja 25/2011. Kuopio. [Formation. Need for and the Pedagogy and Policy of formation in the Scandinavian tradition of popular education].

Nivala, E. (2008). Sosiaalipedagoginen kansalaiskasvatus globaalin ajan hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa. Unpub- lished manuscript of Doctoral Dissertation. University of Kuopio. [Social-pedagogical citizenship educa- tion in welfare society of the era of globalization].