Between Nation-Branding and Concept-Borrowing: Fabricating the “Swedish Educational Model” in French Media Discourse (1964-2019)
Résumé
The educational reforms carried out in Sweden have aroused persistent interest in the French
public debate. This paper focuses on the evolution of the media’s portrayal of an alleged Swedish “edu-
cational model,” by highlighting cross-national influences over an extended time horizon. The origin
of a stereotype is addressed from the point of view of the interaction between the Swedish branding of
its own model and the demand, on the part of French elites, for a handy reform paradigm. Two crucial
phases of idealisation are identified. At first, the popularity of the Swedish experiment in education
coincides with the idealisation of Sweden as a laboratory for social reform. Since 2010, TV reporting
has focused on both the resistance of this myth and the diversity of its possible uses. The expansion
of market-oriented principles in educational culture is stigmatised as a “betrayal” of values associat-
ed with the Swedish reform experience (pupil autonomy, inclusiveness, anti-authoritarianism), while
other players—such as international ranking organisations—intervene in shaping the media image.