Popular education has a long history in Sweden, dating back to the mid-1800s and having developed in close relationship with the state. This relationship has been sustained over the years by the way popular education is spoken of as being “unique”—as being complementary to formal education. In this article, we focus on how the uniqueness of popular education is shaped today, and how it operates to legitimize further support. We draw on Barthes’ notion of myth, analyzing interviews with managers, principals, study circle leaders and teachers working with adult asylum seekers and refugees at study associations and folk high schools. We argue that the myth of the uniqueness of popular education is made up of three rhetorical figures that are mobilized by a range of actors legitimizing state support for popular education. The myth thus becomes a “tool” that commodifies popular education, that is, that turns the myth into monetary funds.

瑞典的大众教育历史悠久，其历史可以追溯到1800年代中期，并且与国家发展密切相关。多年来，通俗地说，大众教育被称为“独特”，是对正规教育的补充，这种关系得以维持。在本文中，我们重点关注当今流行教育的独特性是如何形成的，以及它如何运作以使进一步的支持合法化。我们借鉴了巴特斯（Barthes）的神话观念，分析了与学习协会和民办高中的成年寻求庇护者和难民合作的经理，校长，学习圈负责人和老师的访谈。我们认为，普及教育独特性的神话是由三个修辞者组成的，这些言论是由一系列行为者动员起来的，这些行为者将国家对普及教育的支持合法化。