Each year, the Nordic Journal of Cultural Policy invites theme editors to contribute to a themed section in issue 2 (the autumn issue). Several relevant proposals were submitted to the open call for themes in 2027 and 2028 and the editorial committee have selected two of these proposals: Societal Challenges and the Role of the Cultural Sector, and Cultural Politics of Sustainability. Please find open calls for both of them below.
Themed Section Autumn 2027: Societal Challenges and the Role of the Cultural Sector
Purpose and Scope
In recent years, cultural institutions across the Nordic countries have participated in value-laden discussions on issues such as sustainability, colonial legacies, gender equality, social justice and, more recently, national resilience and civil defense (Carlsson & Engström 2025; Kann-Rasmussen, Christensen, Jochumsen & Rasmussen 2026; Larsen 2025). Cultural institutions are no longer positioned solely as producers of art or providers of access to culture and knowledge but are increasingly visible as participants in wider societal discussions.
Both public and private funders have articulated stronger expectations regarding how culture and the arts should relate to broader societal agendas. These expectations are expressed through funding priorities and policy initiatives such as culture-on-prescription or work aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Kann-Rasmussen 2024). In this way, societal engagement is increasingly framed as an institutional responsibility.
Alongside these expectations, cultural professionals have in some cases experienced growing political and public interference in relation to programming, curation, and public activities (Carlsson, Hanell & Hansson 2022; NEMO – The Network of European Museum Organisations 2024). During the summer of 2025, several events came under scrutiny after artists made political statements regarding the situation in Gaza on stage, illustrating how cultural platforms have become sites of contestation and politicization.
These developments point to a situation in which cultural institutions are simultaneously expected to demonstrate societal relevance and address social challenges, while also maintaining artistic quality and a high number of visitors under conditions of sometimes intensified political attention and media debates. This constellation reflects a broader transformation in how culture and cultural institutions are understood and governed in Nordic societies. Long-standing ideals of autonomy and arm’s-length distance are no longer taken for granted but are actively reinterpreted and, at times, contested. Importantly, cultural institutions are not only responding to external demands; they increasingly position themselves in relation to societal issues, thereby actively reshaping their own roles and responsibilities (Kann-Rasmussen 2020; Larsen 2016).
Under these conditions, fundamental questions arise concerning neutrality, legitimacy, and evolving relationships between cultural institutions and cultural policy frameworks. Within cultural policy research, these developments have been approached through a wide range of theoretical perspectives, including agonistic pluralism, activism, politicization, affect theory, governance theories, performance theory, and discussions of the instrumentalisation of culture. Each perspective sheds light on different aspects of the ongoing transformation. This conceptual fragmentation highlights the need for further empirical investigation. The thematic issue therefore invites contributions that explore, develop, and place such perspectives as well as other perspectives in dialogue when examining societal engagement in Nordic cultural institutions.
Invitation to Contributors
This thematic issue invites contributions that examine how cultural institutions engage with societal challenges and how this engagement is negotiated between different actors in the field such as artists, professionals, opinion makers, lobbyists, politicians, private funders, and the public. Contributions could also deal with how institutions interpret and negotiate pressures to demonstrate societal relevance and/or neutrality, maintain legitimacy, and balance autonomy with responsiveness to social and political demands. Submissions may explore institutional practices, media debates, governance, professional roles, and public-facing activities such as programming, exhibitions, collections, and events, across libraries, archives, museums, theatres, festivals, or other cultural organisations.
Themes of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Societal engagement as an expectation or guiding principle in cultural policy
- Media debates about societal engagement
- Governance, leadership, and funding of institutions
- Professional roles, responsibilities, and ethical challenges
- Programming, exhibitions, collections, and public activities as sites of negotiation and contestation
- Audience and community engagement
- Artistic practices as societal engagement
- Critical perspectives on engagement, including the risks of instrumentalisation
- Politicization and issues of the arm’s length principle
- Perspectives on trust/accountability/neutrality
- Specific agendas within cultural institutions such as DEI, decolonial perspectives, indigenous knowledge, race, class LGBTQ+ perspectives
- Agenda setting
- Transformations and processual perspectives
Time schedule
- Submission of abstracts of 500 words: November 13th, 2026, to nordiskkulturpolitisk@hb.se
- Submission of full articles: April 23rd, 2027 (see guidelines: /page/nkt/author)
- Peer-reviewed and proof-read articles submitted: September 1st, 2027
- Publication: Late November 2027
Theme editors
Nanna Kann-Rasmussen. Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen (nkr@hum.ku.dk)
Nanna Kann-Rasmussen is head of the Section of GLAM at the Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen. She holds a Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies. Her research regards cultural institutions, cultural policy and public administration.
Hans Dam Christensen. Professor, University of Copenhagen (hansdam@hum.ku.dk)
Hans Dam Christensen is professor in Cultural Communication in the Section of GLAM at the Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen. He holds a Ph.D. in Art history. His research regards museums and cultural policy.
Anne Folke Henningsen. Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen (folke@hum.ku.dk)
Anne Folke Henningsen is Deputy Head of Department – Research at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen. She holds a Ph.D. in History. Her research regards heritage studies, memory culture and cultural institutions.
Bibliography
Carlsson, H., & Engström, L. (2025). Navigating exceptionalism: The role of public libraries in times of crisis and war rhetoric. Information Research an International Electronic Journal, 30(CoLIS),30, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.47989/ir30CoLIS52357
Carlsson, H., Hanell, F., & Hansson, J. (2022). ”Det känns som att jag bara sitter och väntar på att det ska explodera”—Politisk påverkan på de kommunala folkbibliotekens verksamhet i sex sydsvenska regioner. Nordic Journal of Library and Information Studies, 3(1), 26–43. https://doi.org/10.7146/njlis.v3i1.131852
Kann-Rasmussen, N. (2020). The Collaborating Cultural Organization: Legitimization through partnerships. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 49(5), 307–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2019.1646175
Kann-Rasmussen, N. (2024). Reframing instrumentality: From New Public Management to New Public Governance. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 30(5), 583–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2023.2239262
Kann-Rasmussen N., Christensen H.D., Jochumsen, H., Hvenegaard Rasmussen, C. (2026;). Neutrality reconsidered: an analysis of research across libraries, archives and museums. Journal of Documentation. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-11-2025-0348
Larsen, H. (2016). Performing legitimacy, studies in high culture and the public sphere. Palgrave Macmillan.
Larsen, H. (2025). “The painting is colonial”: Cancel culture and a heated media debate in Norway. Cultural Trends, 34(5), 739–751. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2025.2452526
NEMO – The Network of European Museum Organisations. (2024). Museums under Pressure: NEMO Statement. Museums under Pressure. https://www.ne-mo.org/fileadmin/Dateien/public/NEMO_Statements/NEMO_statement_Museums_under_Pressure_201124.pdf
Themed section Autumn 2028: Cultural Politics of Sustainability
Sustainability has become a structuring principle of contemporary public policy, shaping debates and agendas across governance levels and sectors. Since the UN publication of Our Common Future (1987), where sustainability first was introduced as a policy goal, sustainable development has been framed as a multidimensional project encompassing ecological, economic, and social dimensions. With the more recent global action plan, Agenda 2030, sustainability has been operationalized through the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in national policy. Gradually, sustainability has emerged as a dimension of cultural policy.
Following this, sustainability has become a concern in cultural policy research, both by recognizing culture as vital to ecologically sustainable development (Lazar & Chithra 2022; Pekkarinen 2025), and by asking how institutions endure environmentally, economically and socially. Recent policy developments at European (European Commission 2021; 2025) and Nordic levels (Kulturanalys Norden 2025) have emphasized the contribution of arts and culture to the green transition (e.g. Kisić, Pyykkönen & Tomka 2026; Oakley & Banks 2021; Peppalepore & Salvador 2025). Theoretical work has sought to redefine ‘culture’ and its relation to economics beyond mainstream approaches (e.g. Clammer 2016; Descola 2026; Pyykkönen & De Beukelaer 2025; Stephenson 2023), and empirical studies on arts and culture in the green transition are also increasing. At the same time, important tensions remain underexplored, including the compatibility between cultural and creative economy policies and ecological limits, the environmental impact of cultural infrastructures, and the implications of sustainability agendas for artistic labour and practice, and all call for deeper investigation.
This special issue, Cultural Politics of Sustainability, positions ecological sustainability at the core of cultural policy research. While articles may address social or economic sustainability, such as institutional viability, labour precarity, or regional ecosystems, they must engage substantially with environmental sustainability. The issue aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue that rethinks cultural policy in light of the ecological imperative.
Themes and topics
We invite contributions that explore (but are not limited to) the following themes:
- Environmental sustainability in cultural governance
How are ecological concerns integrated into cultural policy frameworks, funding systems, and regulatory practices at national, regional, or municipal levels? What forms of “green cultural policy” are emerging? Which actors are driving these developments—state, municipal, or practice-based? - Cultural institutions as ecological actors: How are museums, theatres, festivals, and other institutions rethinking energy use, production practices, touring, procurement, and mobility? What are the environmental implications of internationalization and large-scale cultural events?
- Artistic work under ecological constraints: How do artists and cultural workers negotiate ecological responsibility in practice? Do sustainability agendas transform working conditions, or do they introduce new forms of precarity and responsibility without structural change?
- Conceptual and theoretical interventions: How could the relationship between culture and nature be rethought in cultural policy research? Is “sustainability” still analytically productive, or has it become diluted? Could alternative concepts such as regeneration, resilience, ecosocial transition, or ecological justice be foregrounded?
- Economic and ecological tensions: How do funding models, growth imperatives, and marketization shape environmental outcomes in the cultural sector?
Nordic perspectives in a global context
The Nordic region provides a particularly fertile context for examining these questions. Often associated with strong welfare-state cultural policies and progressive environmental agendas, Nordic countries offer both exemplary cases and critical tensions. The ecological footprint of cultural infrastructures, the role of arts in shaping sustainable lifestyles, and the contradictions between mobility, internationalization, and environmental responsibility remain insufficiently examined.
This special issue welcomes contributions that engage with Nordic cases while situating them within broader international and comparative perspectives.
Submission guidelines
We invite original research articles, theoretical contributions, and empirically grounded case studies.
Abstracts (300–500 words) which should clearly outline the research question, theoretical framework, methodology, and contribution to the theme of the special issue.
Full articles should follow the author guidelines of Nordisk kulturpolitisk tidsskrift (Scandinavian University Press). Submissions and inquiries should be sent to: nordiskkulturpolitisk@hb.se
Time schedule
Submission of abstracts of 500 words: November 12th, 2027, to nordiskkulturpolitisk@hb.se
Submission of full articles: April 21st, 2028 (see guidelines: /page/nkt/author )
Peer-reviewed and proof-read articles submitted: September 1st, 2028
Expected publication: Late November 2028
Theme editors
- Nanna Løkka, Telemark Research Institute, Norway (lokka@tmforsk.no)
- Miikka Pyykkönen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland (miikka.m.pyykkonen@jyu.fi )
- Njörður Sigurjónsson, Bifröst University, Iceland (njordur@bifrost.is)
The editorial team combines expertise in cultural policy analysis, ecological theory, and cultural management, and has collaborated in Nordic research networks on culture and sustainability.
Nanna Løkka, PhD, Senior Researcher
Nanna Løkka works as Senior Researcher at the Telemark Research Institute in Norway. She holds a doctorate in history of religion from the University of Oslo. Her research focuses on cultural policy and cultural governance, including their adaptation to the sustainability transition.
Njörður Sigurjónsson, PhD, Professor
Njörður Sigurjónsson is Professor of Cultural Management at Bifröst University in Iceland. His research focuses on cultural policy, arts management, and management cultures, with particular attention to politics, aesthetics, sustainability, and the role of competing values in cultural and creative sectors.
Miikka Pyykkönen, PhD, Professor
Miikka Pyykkönen is a professor of cultural policy at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. His main research interests are cultural policy, cultural labor and economy, ecological sustainability and culture, and the history of ethnopolitics. Pyykkönen’s over 100 academic publications include co-editing of Globalization, Culture and Development (2015) and Creative and Cultural Work in Europe (2026).
References
Clammer, J. (2016). Cultures of transition and sustainability. Culture after capitalism. Palgrave MacMillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52033-3
Descola, P. (2026). Politics of Worlding. An Anthropological Contribution to Cosmopolitics. Oxford University Press.
European Commission (2021). Communication from the commission to the European Parliament, the council, the European economic and social committee and the Committee of the Regions. COM (2021) 573 final. https://new-european-bauhaus.europa.eu/system/files/2021-09/COM(2021)_573_EN_ACT.pdf.
European Commission (2025). Creative shifts. Empowering culture for sustainable living. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/043230ba-d250-11f0-8da2-01aa75ed71a1
Kisić, V., Pyykkönen, M. & Tomka, G. (2026, forthcoming). Ecologically Sustainable Creative Work? Rethinking Cultural Policies and Practices of Creative Work in the Wake of Green Transition. In: Creative and Cultural Work in Europe, David Wright, Bård Kleppe, Jaka Primorac, & Miikka Pyykkönen (eds.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003595625-20
Kulturanalys Norden (2025). Sustainability in Cultural Policy in the Nordic Countries. Policy brief. Nordic Council of Ministers.
Lazar, N. & Chithra, K. (2022). Role of culture in sustainable development and sustainable built environment: a review. Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 24(5), 5991–603. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01691-8
Oakley, K. & Banks, M. (Eds.) (2021) Cultural Industries and the Environmental Crisis. New Approaches for Policy. Springer.
Pappalepore, I., & Salvador, E. (Eds.). (2025). Responsible Cultural Consumption and Production: Insights From Live Experiences, Film and Fashion. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003532033
Pekkarinen, J. (2025). Towards an ecosystemic approach to culture and sustainability. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 32(3), 432–449. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2025.2455017
Pyykkönen, M., & De Beukelaer, C. (2025). What is the role of creative industries in the Anthropocene? An argument for planetary cultural policy. Poetics, 109, Article 101971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2025.101971
Stephenson, J. (2023). Culture and Sustainability. Exploring Stability and Transformation with the Cultures Framework. Palgrave MacMillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25515-1_5
United Nations (1987). Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development.