nordic insights resources
This publication explores how societies in the former Soviet space are rethinking history, memory, and cultural heritage in the aftermath of imperial and totalitarian rule. It argues that decolonizing memory means reclaiming the right to tell one’s own history, rather...
nordic insights resources
This research project was commissioned by the Public Art Agency Sweden and carried out by the Art History department at Södertörn University. It looks at how public art works in everyday life, focusing on both permanent and temporary artworks, whether they are...
nordic insights resources
Heritage, Democracy and the Public examines the relationship between heritage, democracy, and the public in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), focusing on how cultural heritage is managed and negotiated within contemporary democratic...
nordic insights resources
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Latvia announced the dismantling of up to 300 Soviet-era monuments, a decision that intensified regional tensions and further strained relations with Russia. These monuments evoke deeply conflicting meanings: for parts...
nordic insights resources
The Monumental Challenges Toolkit is an educational resource created to help teachers explore contested histories through the study of monuments and public space. It shows why monuments become controversial, how historical narratives evolve, and how students can...
nordic insights resources
The “Woman With the Handbag” is an iconic 1985 photograph by Hans Runesson showing 38-year-old Danuta Danielsson, a Swedish woman of Polish-Jewish descent, swinging her handbag at a neo-Nazi demonstrator during a far-right march in Växjö, Sweden. The image instantly...
nordic insights resources
The Norwegian government has officially decided to abandon the controversial monument project titled “Memory Wound,” designed by Swedish artist Jonas Dahlberg to commemorate the victims of the 2011 Utøya massacre. The original proposal called for a dramatic...
nordic insights resources
In 2023, a memorial to Queen Victoria in Melbourne was vandalised with red paint on the same night King Charles III was crowned. The timing of the act immediately drew attention and raised questions about whether it was intended as a political statement connected to...
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This publication examines how history textbooks in the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine present national identity, neighboring countries, and shared historical experiences. By comparing curriculum frameworks, narratives, and teaching approaches, the study...
nordic insights resources
In 2015, the world watched in shock as members of the Islamic State (IS) destroyed ancient Assyrian statues and artefacts inside the Mosul Museum in Iraq.Video footage released by the group showed fighters using sledgehammers, drills, and other tools to smash...
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A new exhibition in Los Angeles explores the complex legacy of Confederate monuments in the United States. One of its central pieces is the melted remains of the bronze statue of General Robert E. Lee, which once stood in Charlottesville, Virginia, and became a focal...
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Vilnius has decided to delay the removal of a Soviet-era monument at Antakalnis Cemetery after the United Nations Human Rights Committee intervened with interim measures. The monument, which honors Soviet soldiers, was scheduled for dismantling by November 1 following...
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In 2021, the statue of Samuel von Brukenthal in Sibiu’s main square was vandalized with paint — an act that quickly sparked public debate about memory, identity, and contested heritage in Romania. The perpetrator, a 37-year-old local resident, was later identified and...
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The Riga City Council has approved the removal of three public monuments associated with Russian imperial and Soviet history: the statue of General Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, and the monuments dedicated to writers Andrejs Upīts and Sudrabu Edžus. This decision...
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This study presents how a parametric digital twin was developed for Löfstad Castle in Sweden to support heritage preservation. Researchers installed 13 sensor boxes with 84 sensors throughout the building to monitor indoor climate conditions continuously. Using the...
nordic insights resources
The last public statue of Vladimir Lenin in Finland has been removed by city authorities, marking a symbolic end to the country’s visible Soviet-era legacy. The monument, which had stood for decades, became increasingly controversial in recent years, especially after...
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This report explores how public art is researched and practiced in the Nordic countries and around the world. It was commissioned by the Public Art Agency Sweden and prepared by Södertörn University and Valand Academy to identify what we know, what we don’t, and where...
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This thesis looks at what “participation” really means in museums—not just as a project outcome, but as everyday work carried out by museum professionals. Based on ethnographic research at Fisksätra Museum (Sweden) and the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (Germany), the...
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This article looks at how Norwegian museums are adapting to a society shaped by migration and greater cultural diversity. It shows how museums try to include the voices and stories of immigrants in their exhibitions and collections, moving from older ideas of national...
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In 19th-century Scandinavia, museums were closely tied to the changing idea of what a “nation” meant. At first, “nation” was understood as a cultural community that could stretch across borders, which inspired the creation of Scandinavian ethnographic collections....
nordic insights resources
Heritage—whether monuments, archives, artifacts, or traditions—shapes how societies see themselves. It passes down stories and values, often celebrating ideals like democracy or heroism while pushing painful histories, such as oppression or violence, into the margins....
nordic insights resources
This article looks at how cultural heritage became a public human rights issue after the 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo, Norway, which damaged the Y-Block government building. The Y-Block became a symbol of public space and cultural expression, but a government...
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This article explores the construction of Finland’s national narrative following its independence in 1917, focusing on how the country has remembered and represented its traumatic civil war of 1918. Finnish historical memory has long struggled to integrate this...
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This article explores how two pioneering Mixed Reality Heritage Performances, including Sancho’s Journey at Marble Hill House in London, use smart AR glasses and live theatre to confront Britain’s colonial past. By immersing audiences in underrepresented narratives of...
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Held from August 31 to September 6, 2024, the How to Reframe Monuments workshop focused on five Soviet-era statues and memorials in northeastern Estonia—such as the removed Lenin statue in Narva, a WWII soldier in Sillamäe, and a Kreenholm strike monument. Organized...
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This article explores how artistic and activist practices in Sweden—and in contrast with Belarus—actively shape cultural heritage through community-led processes. Focusing on Swedish examples, such as grassroots memorials and emotionally charged public artworks, it...
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In Reading Museum Narratives, researcher Hagen Kjørholt presents a compelling narratological analysis of Holocaust exhibitions at the Jewish Museum Trondheim and the Oslo Jewish Museum. This study explores how historical narratives are constructed within museum...
nordic insights resources
Russian authorities have added Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to their official wanted list, alleging criminal charges related to her government’s removal of Soviet-era World War II monuments in Estonia. This is the first known instance of Russia targeting...
nordic insights resources
The National Museum in Oslo sparked public debate after removing Christian Krohg’s iconic painting Leiv Eirikson Discovering America from public view, citing concerns over its colonial symbolism. The decision was widely criticized as an act of “cancel culture,”...
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The Nordic Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, featuring The Altersea Opera by Lap-See Lam, enters the heart of an ongoing Nordic debate: who gets to define culture? Amid discussions in Sweden over establishing a national cultural canon, this multisensory...
