Ragnar Edenmans kulturpolitiska problematisering : styrning av estetisk bildning och estetisk miljö i statlig socialdemokratisk kulturpolitik 1957-67

Sammanfattning: This master’s thesis analyzes how cultural policy was problematized in three governmental policy areas; culturalpolicy for the free sector, education policy and popular education policy, during the social democrat Ragnar Edenman’s time (1957-67) as minister of ecclesiasticalaffairs. Earlier research has examined the policy for the free sector, concerning artist’s economic problems. This thesisadds an analysis of the other fields of policy, which were reformed in the 1960’s by the same ministry. The purpose is twofold: first to examine if the two fields wereproblematized as a cultural policy. The conclusion is that popular education was part of what Edenman problematizedas a “wider cultural policy”. Education policy was not included in this field of reform, but not conceptually different from it. Secondly to examine what these threepolicies had in common as a problematization. This concept is combined with the concept of governmentality into ananalysis of how wider cultural policy was defined by two technologies, aesthetic education and environment. These elements are analyzed in programs for these fields of policy, their use of behavioral sciences and ideological programs after 1946. The conclusion is that the wider problematizationduring the early part of the period was part of a governmentality held together by a psychologically defined democratic subject. When cultural policy was defined as aseparate field of policy in the 1960’s, it lost contact with this governmentality’s focus on the citizen’s ethical behavior.Instead, its purpose was to fulfill goals of the citizen’s wellbeing in society.