Photo of woman with glasses

Julia Håkansson, 2022 Photo: Avril Meehan

Julia Håkansson: The battle for culture

The rise of contemporary right-wing populism in Sweden and Denmark

15.12 2022

Malmö

Julia Håkansson’s talk is about how culture, nation and people in the right-wing populist ideology become a unit that must be defended in order not to be destroyed by the multicultural society. The talk is part of the program within the framework of the exhibition Twilight Land.

Right-wing populism has left its mark on the political climate in both Sweden and Denmark in recent decades. The right-wing populists claim to protect a national community with the aim of countering what they believe is a negative social development. In their presentation of such communities, the national culture is central.

Which culture do the right-wing populists consider to be the national culture? What culture do they think threatens the same? What does a cultural canon actually mean, and what place does it have within the right-wing populist ideology? These are questions that are discussed during the talk.

ABOUT JULIA HÅKANSSON

Julia Håkansson is doing her PhD in history and history didactics at the Department of Society, Culture and Identity at Malmö University. Her research revolves around the use of history and history culture in a political context in Sweden and Denmark, with a focus on the late 1980s and onwards.