After years of debate, historian Lars Trägårdh will present a Swedish cultural canon to Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand. The initiative, part of the Tidö Agreement, aims to highlight Sweden's cultural heritage but faces criticism for potentially excluding minority perspectives.
Controversial Swedish Cultural Canon to be Unveiled on Tuesday
Controversial Swedish Cultural Canon to be Unveiled on Tuesday
After several years of debate, historian Lars Trägårdh will present a Swedish cultural canon to Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand (M) on Tuesday.
The presentation will take place at a press conference in Uppsala.
The decision to develop a cultural canon was included in the Tidö Agreement between the Moderate Party, Christian Democrats, Liberals, and Sweden Democrats after the 2022 election. Similar projects have been undertaken in Denmark and the Netherlands to highlight shared cultural heritage, but the plans are highly controversial.
The idea of a state-created list of important cultural works has been dismissed by the Swedish Academy. The Social Democrats have accused the committee behind the canon project of insufficiently considering minority perspectives.
The work has been ongoing for nearly two years, led by historian Lars Trägårdh, who, with the help of an expert group in each field, has selected the relevant works.
A Swedish canon is expected to include a total of 100 works divided into two broad categories: arts such as literature, design, music, film, and performing arts, and society with a focus on religion, law and justice, economy, and history that have left a "lasting imprint on Swedish society."
Only works that are at least 50 years old can be considered.