Please join us at Accelerator for a lively conversation with Lars Trägårdh, chair of the Cultural Canon Commission, and professor of history, Uppsala University, to discuss the production and goals of a canon. All are welcome and we encourage participation and questions.

The commission of a cultural canon in Sweden has raised a number of questions about its purpose, goals, and process. Some commentators have rejected the idea outright while others have lobbied for a list of classics or criteria for inclusion. At the same time, the initiative has generated an overwhelming positive interest from the public and citizenry. What is at stake here? Why does it matter? Is it possible to produce a canon that both reflects a set of shared ideas, values, social practices and one that is inclusive? How do such artistic endeavors contribute to a shared culture or ideas about citizenship and belonging? Is the idea of common core inherently exclusionary or necessary to bind societies together? Who gets to decide? How does a broader view of culture overcome some of these tensions? How have other countries handled these dilemmas? We take up some of these issues and more.

Accelerator Café
Wednesday 29 May
The talk begins at 18:00
Language: The talk will be in English but participants can pose questions in Swedish
Free entry, no registration needed

You are encouraged to send your question(s) before the talk to accelerator@su.se. Please name your email ‘A culture canon in Sweden?’.

Co-hosted with the Antiracism Working Group, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University.