Utdanningssystemet – et symbolsk felt som klassifiserer mennesker og benevner verden

Abstract

This article is a theoretical discussion of the Norwegian education system as a symbolic field and classification system. The main question to be discussed is how to meet challenges in a growing multicultural
composition of students in the Norwegian school. The Education Act of 1998 will be used as an example
of a legal system that classifies and categorizes students in the Norwegian school. The discussion will
show that different student groups cf the Education Act have various rights to language teaching of their
different native languages. The article discusses the legal basis in relation to white papers which assume
that inclusion should be a fundamental principle of all students and parents in the Norwegian school.
Saami legal basis of the Education Act is presented as an example of a formal, academic and cultural
«lift» in the Norwegian educational system. A separate Saami curricula, “The Knowledge – Saami” is
based on the legal basis on the Education Act of 1998. The article discusses whether a Saami model can
be seen as a constructive bridge and a pioneering model for other minority groups. The article is theoretically grounded in Bourdieu: Different forms of capital, fields, and state power shapes.