Hur pratar vi om ritualer? : En läroboksanalys av läroböcker i religionskunskap för gymnasieskolan

Rituals have been a part a human civilization since the dawn of man. Even in todays’ technologically and scientifically advanced society, rituals still have a certain place regardless of them being in the church, the mosque or perhaps the grand opening of the city’s new opera house. Rituals have many functions, yet they seem to be diminished in the eyes of the Swedes. Our Lutheran heritage, with its emphasis on individual salvation, the Bible and its skepticism for all things Catholic, is believed to have had a profound impact on our views concerning the ritual. Regardless of Swedes’ apathy towards rituals, they still matter and are present in our lives. This raises the question of the presence of ritual discourse in Swedish schools. The aim of this study is to investigate how rituals are presented and discussed in high school textbooks in religious studies.