By analysing the regulating mechanisms of state subsidies to Swedish institutions generally considered mediating “popular education” during the twentieth century, it is argued that a tension has been developed between two parallel notions of popular education. A narrower ideal popular education—emphasising non-formality and independence—has been discursively nurtured along with a broader organisational popular education, denoting the de facto institutions that have received government funding, primarily the folk high schools and study associations. It is argued that the organisational popular education is a reality in itself, spanning over border zones between, for example, non-formal and formal education. Furthermore, an argument against using “popular education” as an analytical concept is put forth, since it is overly contested. Rather, it is promoted as a discursive construct that has formed real organisational structures with their own logic, which cannot be denoted by words such as non-formal adult education.

Gotland, Åland, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Bornholm are five island regions in the Baltic Sea which constitute, or have until recently constituted, provinces or counties of their own. Combining perspectives from two disparate academic fields, uses of history and island studies, this book investigates how regional history writing has contributed to the formation of regional identity on these islands since the year 1800. The special geographic situation of the islands-somewhat secluded from the mainland but also connected to important waterways-has provided their inhabitants with shared historical experiences. Due to varying geographic and historical circumstances, the relationship between regional and national identity is however different on each island. While regional history writing has in most cases aimed at integrating the island into the nation state, it has on Åland in the second half of the 20th century been used to portray its inhabitants as a separate nation. Dramatic political upheavals as the World Wars has also caused shifts in how regional history writing has represented the relationship to the mainland nation state, and has sometimes also resulted in altered national loyalties.

Vikingatiden finns överallt: läktarna fylls av vikingahjälmar när det är landskamp, runtomkring i Sverige grundas vikingabyar, och i vår alltmer kommersialiserade historiekultur hävdas att vikingaarvet ska hjälpa oss att locka turister till Sverige. Vikingatiden är också ideologiskt laddad som få historiska epoker. Den har setts som en period när Sverige på allvar framträdde som ett eget rike, och när svenskarna för första gången gjorde sig bemärkta i andra länder. Inte minst for de österut, och tack vare arkeologiska fynd och 1100-talsskriften Nestorskrönikan har lärda och vetenskapsmän i Sverige och andra länder hävdat att Ryssland grundats av svenskar.

I boken I Ruriks fotspår: Om forntida svenska österledsfärder i modern historieskrivning studerar historikern Samuel Edquist hur skandinavernas vikingafärder i österled beskrivits av svenska forskare igår och idag. Vi får följa utvecklingen från 1800-talets besatthet vid att finna ursprunget till våra tiders nationer i forntiden, och hur denna nationalism genomsyrade forskningsresultaten, till våra dagars försök att göra upp med vetenskapens nationalistiska förflutna. Studien avslutas med en diskussion om tänkbara strategier för att förhålla sig till en så ideologiskt laddad företeelse som vikingatiden.