Special education knowledge seen as a social problem

The article is based on a historical study aiming at analysing the historical determinants for the academic content of the special educational discipline-regarding both ideological attitudes against disability, and segregation and more concrete initiatives of action-as it appeared when the expert-function of special education was established during the 1920s and 1930s in Sweden. As the determinants I consider the nineteenth, as well as the twentieth cetury's socio-ideological, educational political and educational philosophical discourses. bz order to describe the tendencies in contents I have used the first Scandinavian journal in the special educational field (Hjalpskolan). I have in my discussion been inspired by Michel Foucault's analysis of subtle conditions of power, in the forms of regulations and control mechanisms between the societies 'normal' and its marginal groupings. The essence of the study is that these tendencies are socially constructed within the Knowledge tradition of the swedish compulsory school system. Despite their variations they can be classified as follows: a moralizing theme, where the various scientifically coloured arguments for and against segregation are discussed. A religious 'merciful' theme; the genuine human loving compassion with 'the societies least fortunate'. Finally,, the sociopolitical theme with focus on socio-economical discussion.