Rektor C.J.L. Almqvist och personlighetsprincipen

Annika Ullman

doi:10.36368/njedh.v1i2.38

Abstract

Principal C.J.L. Almqvist and the principle of personalityThe Swedish author and visionary Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1793–1866) was the principal for twelve years (1829–1841) of the government-initiated pilot school ”Nya Elementarskolan” (New Elementary School) in Stockholm. In this position, he argued that both the school and the state should be built on the same basic idea: the right of individual freedom. This argument is often referred to as ”personlighetsprincipen” (the principle of personality), a concept launched by another prominent figure of the liberal culture of the time, Erik Gustaf Geijer (1783–1847). This article explores how the principle of personality is expressed in the texts of Almqvist and is mainly built upon the concept’s allegorical resources. It examines the thesis that Almqvist’s use of the term is best understood if one distinguishes between the political, pedagogical, and existential dimension of the concept. The article ends with some thoughts about the context of the concept and a discussion on whether Almqvist had a greater interest in personalities than in principles.

Highlights

Almqvist and the principle of personality The Swedish author and visionary Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1793–1866) was the principal for twelve years (1829–1841) of the government-initiated pilot school ”Nya Elementarskolan” (New Elementary School) in Stockholm. He argued that both the school and the state should be built on the same basic idea: the right of individual freedom
This argument is often referred to as ”personlighetsprincipen”, a concept launched by another prominent figure of the liberal culture of the time, Erik Gustaf Geijer (1783–1847)
This article explores how the principle of personality is expressed in the texts of Almqvist and is mainly built upon the concept’s allegorical resources

Summary

Introduction

Inte bara på grund av att det var just Geijer (1783–1847) som i myntade själva glosan utan också för det finns en del forskning kring nyordets betydelse i hans tankevärld.[9] När jag här intresserar mig för hur personlighetsprincipen kommer till uttryck i Almqvists texter har jag framförallt tagit fasta på begreppets allegoriska resurser.

Results

Conclusion