Pippi Longstocking or Ikea: Sweden defines its “cultural canons” and creates controversy
At the request of the right-wing government and its far-right ally, a commission presented on Tuesday, September 2, the "cultural canons" intended to represent what is typically Swedish in this field. The initiative has been controversial since its launch, and the outcome has divided the kingdom's press.
A vast, yet somewhat heterogeneous collection. Sweden's cultural canons, presented to the public on Tuesday, September 2, number one hundred. They include literary classics, films, masterpieces, musical works, and major monuments. But also documents that have marked the country's political and social history, discoveries and innovations, religious sites, industrial sites, and economic institutions.
This varied collection is the result of the work of experts carried out on behalf of a commission appointed by the right-wing government, after it came to power in the fall of 2022. “The objective,” its members recalled on Tuesday in an article published by Dagens Nyheter , “is to create living and practical tools for education, community and inclusion.”
Because, in a “divided” Sweden, it is “necessary to clarify and make accessible the cultural heritage that has shaped the country, so that it serves as a common frame of reference for citizens, new and already established,” the government believes on its website.
The public was invited to submit proposals on a dedicated website. Nearly ten thousand of them were received, some of which were included in the final choices.
Courrier International
