Skönlitteraturens demokratifrämjande funktioner

Sammanfattning: In this overview I examine the democracy promoting functions in reading literature in a multicultural classroom. Based on theories in scientific articles by various theorists and Martha C. Nussbaum’s idea of creating world citizens, I categorize the values in reading literature into three groups; introducing the students to a platform for an exchange of ideas, creating a greater understanding for others, and creating a greater understanding for oneself. However, none of these aspects goes unchallenged. Regarding the platform for an exchange of ideas, the question of who’s thoughts and ideas are shared through literature is raised. Regarding the understanding of others, Nussbaum’s world-citizen theory is challenged by the identity political idea that we can never fully understand a person from another context. Further on I investigate how teachers can work with literature to infuse the teaching with the three democracy promoting functions. I find that the subject itself must play a part in the reading process to make the reading valuable. The transaction between the reader and the text is where the mental processing necessary in all three aspects is created. This is based on Louis Rosenblatt’s concept ”aestethic reading”, and Gunilla Molloy’s view on the difference between reading a text and studying it. I also find that the discussion about the book and the choice of literature is important in order to make the reading valuable. In a final discussion I state that the identity political way of looking at literature makes it difficult to find a democratic value in reading. Although reflection regarding which social or cultural group’s point of views are shown through literature, as well as the limits of our possibility to fully understand another person’s situation, is of outmost importance, a perspective on literature closer to that of Nussbaum’s is necessary to reach the democracy promoting functions in reading literature.