Heritage and diversity - An analysis of responses by Norwegian heritage management to challenges of place identity and globalization

An increasing number of the Norwegian population consists of a diverse group of immigrants, and so-called second and third generations of immigrants, with a background that connects them neither with nation-building, nor indigenous rights and claims. For heritage management, this means that for up to a generation ago the sector related to a population with largely shared perceptions about their historical roots and identity, while today there exist a heterogeneous population outside the dominant ethnic and national history. The more culturally diverse a society becomes, the more insight and dedication is required of the heritage management to act in an inclusive rather than an exclusive manner. In this dissertation, the responses by the Norwegian public heritage management to challenges of place identity and globalization, as they are manifested in a selection of planning documents and reports, are examined in a discourse analysis. A broad selection of statements is addressed, to investigate how these responses are expressed through language, and what social consequences this entails in terms of how people view themselves and others in a culturally diverse society. A point of departure is the recognition of identity as something continuously produced, reproduced, challenged and changed through various processes, including geographical mobility. The study critically discusses the Norwegian heritage management discourse as a discourse of inclusion and diversity. It is argued that a fundamental tension between the role of heritage as unifier and an expressed focus on diversity permeates the discourse. The management aim to make the narrative of the past more multivocal, by including the heritage of previously excluded groups, and by telling stories of cultural diversity, change and exchange. However, the expressed inclusive means and aims of the management are effectively contradicted by the exclusion of divergent understandings of heritage. Furthermore, a strong emphasis on local place identity is identified: Local communities are urged to exploit and lift up their identity through profiling of their distinctive and characteristic heritage. Patriotic feelings of pride and belonging, and the commercial and political values of this inherited identity are emphasized. Little previous research has focused on this development, and it is here seen in context of the overall regional and local politics of Norway. The seven texts are considered as part of a greater po