ABSTRACT

The performance of heritage takes place in prestigious institutions such as museums and archives, in officially sanctioned spaces such as jubilees and public monuments, but also in more mundane, ephemeral and banal cultural practices, such as naming of phenomena, viewing exhibitions or walking in the countryside. This volume examines the performance of Nordic heritage and the shaping of the very idea of Norden in diverse contexts in North America, the Baltic and the Nordic countries and examines the importance of these places as sites for creating and preserving cultural heritage. Offering rich perspectives on a part of Europe which has not been the centre of discussion in the Anglophone world, this volume will be of value to a wide readership, including cultural historians, museum practitioners, policy-makers and scholars of heritage, ethnology and folkloristics.

chapter 1|26 pages

Introduction

Performing Nordic Heritage – Institutional Preservation and Popular Practices

chapter 2|26 pages

Walking Nordic

Performing Space, Place and Identity

chapter 3|19 pages

‘Something in the Air'

Performing the North within Norden

chapter 4|26 pages

A Windmill and a Vikinghjem

The Importance of Visual Icons as Heritage Tropes among Danish-Americans

chapter 6|34 pages

Banal Nordism

Recomposing an Old Song of Peace

chapter 7|25 pages

‘Nordic' as Border Country Rhetoric

Danish versus German in South Jutland Museums and Memorial Culture

chapter 8|32 pages

Performing Nordic Spaces in American Museums

Gift Exchange, Volunteerism and Curatorial Practice

chapter 9|26 pages

The Geopolitics of Distinction

Negotiating Regional Spaces in the Baltic Museums

chapter 11|30 pages

Performing the Nordic in Museums

Changing Ideas of Norden and their Political Implications

chapter 12|14 pages

Conclusion

Performing Nordic Spaces in Everyday Life and Museums