‘The politics of the past’ is a set phrase that has resonated among archaeologists and heritage researchers for decades, yet surprisingly few have examined how and by whom heritage policies are actually shaped. ‘Heritage politics at work: The future of the past in Scandinavia’ sets out to make the politics of the past tangible by examining: how civil servants balance and negotiate political loyalty and scientific-professional autonomy in times of political change. The geopolitical scale is set to Scandinavia, where cultural heritage is an issue area characterised by a high degree of expert knowledge and agencification. The fact that heritage institutions operate at arm’s length from the political ministries makes it a rich and complex case region.

The project is conducted by Herdis Hølleland (NIKU) and Elisabeth Niklasson (Stanford Univeristy).