Historical research, especially research without clear genealogical bonds to contemporary world religions seems to be on the way out of the national curricula in Sweden, both in secondary school and at the universities. The new national guidelines for the secondary school, decided by the government 2010, show this clearly. This situation diverges greatly from the curriculums just 30-40 years ago where the proportions have been nearly the opposite. This study aims to investigate this difference to “former times” more closely.

Material for this study is selected textbooks for the secondary school and the national curriculums from different époques. The method is both qualitative and quantitative. How much space takes the past compared to the present? Which past is represented, what are the main themes? Is there an argument for the selection? Are the past and the people of the past treated differently than present religions? The theoretical point of departure is inspired from anthropological research about race, ethnicity and religion, looking for implicit and explicit valuations of religions and peoples from former times, trying to outline the differences over time.

The analysis of the national curricula raises questions of education politics and the role of past religions within it. Have there been power-shifts of minority and majority groups? This would be interesting for further investigations both in comparison to other countries as to other objects like the department of history.