Compulsory school attendance as a child welfare initiative: the socio-political function of education legislation with respect to vulnerable children in Norway, 1814–1900

Abstract

The history of Scandinavian social welfare services is a well-established field of research. Numerous studies have examined the principles and consequences of poor laws and criminal legislation with respect to various social groups, the emergence of child-rescue institutions and their activities. The socio-political function of education legislation has, however, received little investigative attention. This article discusses the relationship between child welfare, the parental prerogative and compulsory school attendance with regard to vulnerable children in Norway 1814–1900. Questions concerning the parental prerogative and child welfare arose within the school sector from the debate concerning compulsory school attendance specifically for neglected, poor and abnormal children. The issue prompted arguments for family intervention and the forceful relocation of children to new families/institutions that could cater better for their education. At the same time, the authorities sought to protect the parental prerogative. This article argues that compulsory school attendance represents a link between the fields of socio-politics and the history of education, which in turn raises fundamental questions about the family as society’s primary institution for the provision of children’s education.