From the Margins to the Centre: The Emergence of Holocaust Education in Scandinavia (1990–2023)

In Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Holocaust has a special place in history education today. In the national curricula of all Scandinavian countries, it is treated differently from other historical events. In particular, the Holocaust is framed as an event that students should not only learn about but also take moral lessons from. This article aims to discuss how the Holocaust emerged as a significant event with immense importance in history education across Scandinavia, and how Scandinavian Holocaust education has gained such a striking moral framing. While this process was part of a transnational development, it has certain local variations that are important for the nature of Holocaust education in Scandinavia. Our key finding is that the idea of students gaining added moral virtues from Holocaust education only partially originates in historical and education research, instead, it is the result of various political interventions and cultural shifts affecting Holocaust education.