Abstract:

Democracy and freedom have come under pressure and is therefore important to focus on in education. How can individual members of a democracy possibly “fight back”, and what might make this a continuing learning process? During WW2 and the occupation of Norway, the chief of Trøndelag Theatre Henry Gleditsch (1902-1942), put up resistance using the theatre as a tool against oppression. This was a fight that would cost him his life. The purpose of this study is to examine how Gleditsch positioned himself before the war against the Nazis. Further, to explore how Gleditsch in highly imaginative and effective ways utilized the scene of the theatre in a civic fight against tyranny. After the execution of Gleditsch and nine other victims of the Nazi regime on October 6 1942, the theatre became a symbol of civic fight against oppression as initiated by Gleditsch. Trøndelag Theatre was to remain an institution contesting the Nazi regime, meaning that Gleditsch had managed to “infuse the values in the organization” to quote Phillip Zelznick (1957). It highlights the role of institutions as carrier of democratic values. Democracy is not a given but must be viewed as an ongoing process. To achieve what he did in terms of non-violent civic resistance, acting against the social agenda of a totalitarian regime, Gleditsch had a grasp for, and made innovative use of an interesting action between the factual and fictional in terms of how social reality is enacted. As such, the case of Henry Gleditsch provides an example of how theoretical aspects of so-called performative epistemologies (Barad, 2007; Mol, 1999, 2002) within contemporary practice theory, should also be considered in highly pragmatic terms: utilizing enactment of fiction as enactments of socio-material reality (Piccini, 2016, 46), where the practical management of a theatre in itself becomes a stage play providing much needed social room for critical thought and democratic social interaction, otherwise banned.

We have used the story in education for students and will discuss how historical examples can be used for educational purposes. Residing in the oldest operating theatrical building in Norway, today like in 1942, Trøndelag Theatre is in central Trondheim. 200 meters away from the Theatre, the Teacher Education Institute is located. This proximity makes “walking in the footsteps of Henry Gleditsch” an interesting didactic possibility of an extended materially present educational room. The historical event of October 6 1942 is also depicted in a famous picture made from loom by artist Hanna Ryggen (1894-1970), produced in secret in 1943 as one of several illegal expressions of art commemorating Gleditsch in the aftermath. The picture is exhibited in the National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. In multiple contexts surrounding this case, this creates unique opportunities for learning and making history come to life.

The article will show what can be learned and how Gleditsch's efforts to “enter his time” may still be of use for educational purposes. It is an example of Wolfgang Klafkis' (1927-2016) categorial formation and the importance of historical knowledge regarding democracy, oppression, and leadership.

Keywords:

Democracy, pedagogy of the oppressed, didactical implication for education.