The Norwegian School Subject Art and Crafts - Tradition and Contemporary Debate

Abstract

This article will show the development of the Norwegian school subject Art and Crafts from its beginning to what can be labeled the New Reconstructionist Stream seen today. It sums up the essence of the practice tradition and debate throughout the subject’s 120 years of history as a school subject in Norwegian general education (1^st through 10^th year). It addresses several theoretical approaches to describe the history of the subject, and compares these to the practice traditions as seen in original sources. It will trace how the strong practice tradition can be seen as one of the main reasons why the Norwegian Art and Crafts school subject show a new purpose for the content, a purpose that highlight democratic design and citizenship by introducing a global sustainable perspective in general education.