A national upbringing project. This is how the Swedish Cultural Canon can be seen, according to committee chairman Lars Trägårdh. Now the subjects that will be included are becoming clear.
Many are quite expected.
In Dagens Nyheter, Lars Trägårdh has questioned the deadline for the work, but the committee will still deliver a Swedish Cultural Canon by 31 August next year.
Yes, absolutely. But it may also include proposals for further development, says Lars Trägårdh, who also believes that cross-party political support is required for a canon to have significance.
What will then be included, works within 5 or 50 areas? According to Trägårdh, the committee is unanimous about limiting it.
It's no state secrets that we will be looking at cultural heritage, literature, art, music, and then broadening it. But if you have too much, it becomes nothing, it should be something that is useful, says Lars Trägårdh, who wants to include, among other things, legal culture, state-building, economy, and science.
"Desecrate the Flag"
Whether Carl Johan De Geer's "Desecrate the Flag" or Lars Vilks' Muhammad drawings will be included is not his decision to make. However, he emphasizes that the selected works need context and explanations. The committee will establish the selection criteria, but the works will be chosen by independent expert groups appointed in the autumn. Asked to suggest a work himself, the historian Trägårdh has mentioned the Västgötalagen from 1350.
It doesn't have to be exactly that, but a fundamental principle in the Nordic countries is that a country should be built on law, which is fundamental for the emergence of a well-functioning state and democracy and the rights we have. It's an example of something that absolutely should be included in a canon.
Emphasized Multiculture
According to Lars Trägårdh, a canon is needed, among other things, because Sweden has long neglected to invest sufficiently in "understanding Swedish culture" and instead emphasized internationalism, modernism, and multiculture.
It's great in many ways, there are many advantages to embracing diversity, but we must understand that there is also a Swedish culture, we must be careful to preserve a well-cohesive society where there is a balance between community and diversity.
But won't it become too strong an emphasis on Swedishness now?
We have underinvested in looking at Sweden for a long time, just look at the great interest in the TV series "Sweden's History", it's nothing strange, we humans are interested in the place we live in.
I also lecture for immigrants, where they are very interested in getting a map and compass to survive in Sweden.
Age: Turning 71 this summer.
Does: Is a guest professor at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF) at Uppsala University. Currently researching social trust in Sweden. Has a 20% appointment as chairman of the committee that will develop a Swedish Cultural Canon.
Has also started the podcast "Cultural Canon" for a freer conversation with invited guests.
Background: Earned a doctorate in history at Berkeley and wrote his dissertation on the concept of folk in Swedish and German political culture. Co-authored the book "Is the Swede Human? Community and Independence in Modern Sweden" (2006) with Henrik Berggren.
