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Sustainable development has become the ideology of the twentieth first century. As an important concept and as a framework of political action, sustainable development can at this point be considered as the very symbol of a paradigm in the international debate over environmental issues and the threats of climate change. But what does the concept of sustainability actually suggest? This thesis uses discourse analysis in order to examine the Swedish learning for sustainable development as to three different discourses on the national arena: the government and the municipals of Piteå and Växjö respectively. When the study foremost concerns official policy documents that contain associations with the study area, the methodology used takes into consideration both language, signs, metaphors and so called story lines. The purpose with the thesis was to conclude whether or not a specific view on the relationship between individual and society could be established behind the rhetoric of the term sustainable development. This may also be summarized with the following question: Can a specific citizenship theory be distinguished behind the learning for sustainable development? The analysis eventually gives some interesting findings related to this question. At first, it is concluded that the policy documents of the three mentioned discourses, point towards primarily a civic republican or a liberal citizenship model. There are also some references that can be associated with an ecological post-cosmopolitan citizenship but these are in most cases subordinated either the civic republican or the liberal citizenship ideas. Given these results, what purpose do the ecological references serve within this policy area? Is it to give legitimacy to conservative ideas or is it rather to provide them with a progressive input of revision and transformation? In both cases, the relationship between individual and the state remains uncertain. Knowledge has been found the most important aspect of this policy area as it becomes both a purpose and a means of practice. The concept is linked with sustainable development and democracy, gaining or providing with legitimacy and content. It is therefore apparent that sustainable development in these discourses achieves the place as a preferred value in itself. The problem to conclude is whether the individual only is required to have knowledge and understanding about sustainable development, or does the individual rather have to know certain knowledge and understanding? Do we have to choose between free thinking and long term ecological sustainability?

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