Social studies, or citizenship education, seems to be a hot topic when it comes to questions regarding the school. Research shows that social studies, as a school subject, is hard to define and at the same time, defined by many.

The aim of this study is to examine which aspects of social studies is emphasized in the national curriculum. The focus is primary school. Furthermore, the purpose is also to examine how a selected number of municipalities, in their own policy documents, address these sections in national curriculum. Following questions have been answered with discourse analysis:

• What relevant discourses regarding social studies can be found in the national curriculum and how is the relationship between them?

• Which educational purposes are formulated within these discourses?

• Is it possible to see reflections of these discourses in the municipal steering documents, and if so, how are they expressed?

The result shows that discourses surround the word knowledge, and that one aspect of knowledge is dominating. This aspect is even more dominating in the municipalities own steering documents and other aspects are beeing supressed.