In his government statement, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) spoke of a paradigm shift for law and order. Will there be a shift for the culture as well?
- We are surrounded by concerns about both crime and crime.
There, we want to unite what is divided today.
There is a lot of polarization where we need to work to stop and get along.
I think culture has an incredibly important role to play there.
Culture has its own value, says Liljestrand to Kulturnyheterna.
Cultural canon – "a unifying force"
According to the Tidö Agreement, the written agreement between KD, L, SD and M, expert committees must produce a Swedish cultural canon.
Something that Parisa Liljestrand hopes can be a way to unify society.
- I think it is incredibly positive that we can come up with something that can give us common frames of reference.
Something that can help us form an idea of both the past and the present.
I think that can be a unifying force.
Can you give an example of how a cultural canon unifies?
- For me, literature has been an incredibly important entry point in being able to understand both the society I came to, but also to understand written, and above all unwritten, laws and rules.
There, I believe that culture has an enormous ability to unite people.
I think we can get to know each other and create understanding between us with the help of culture.
Does not rule out cultural canon as a citizenship test
What should a cultural canon be used for when it is finished?
- I also think that an investigation can show and that experts can think about it, but I can say that when I worked as a teacher and principal, I would have thought it would be fantastic to have the opportunity for a cultural canon that can somehow also work indicative.
… for what to teach?
- For what we can use to create common frames of reference.
In an interview with Kulturnyheterna in 2018, Aron Emilsson, then cultural policy spokesperson for SD, suggested that a cultural canon could be used as a test to obtain Swedish citizenship.
According to Liljestrand, there is nothing that has been discussed in the current cooperation government.
- I'm not saying that anything is out of the question, but I think you need to look at the use of a cannon like this.
I can't answer how it can best be used today, but I think it can be a guide precisely to exchange experiences and land on something that we can collectively see has shaped both our past and perhaps also our present.
Hear culture minister Parisa Liljestrand (M) tell more in the clip above.