Conflictual Diversity and Contested Cultural Heritage: Newspaper Coverage of Religion in Norway 1938–2018

This article examines religion in Finnish newspapers, arguing that religion-related discourses have changed from one of Lutheran dominance to one of diversity. The main data consists of a longitudinal sample of the most popular Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, and especially of its editorials and readers' letters. Additional data covers a wider variety of newspapers from the 1990s to 2018. The data is analysed using quantitative content analysis and a discursive approach. It will be suggested that it is possible to discuss diversity both as an emergent discourse and a theme in the Finnish media since the mid-1990s, thereby overcoming earlier frameworks that took Lutheranism for granted or gave it a special role in the private sphere. The analysis shows that these shifts do not provide clear support for the idea that newspapers and journalism are anti-religious; rather, it suggests that they may be understood as having a 'liberalizing' effect, especially when religious values are not seen as compatible with those of journalists and newspapers.

Section: The Emergence Of Diversitymentioning

confidence: 69%

From Lutheran Dominance to Diversity

Taira

2019

“…The NOREL project showed an increase in main articles referring to religion between 1988, 1998, and 2008(Niemelä and Christensen 2013. 5 However, this was not a linear and general trend over the period, because the frequency of the coverage differed between the Nordic countries and between regions and article genres (see Lundby et al 2018;Lövheim and Lundby 2013). In the case of Sweden the number of articles covering religion was notably lower (736) than in Norway (1,740) and Finland (1,603, see further Niemelä and Christensen 2013, 11).…”

Section: Overview Of Longitudinal Changes In Previous Research 1988-2008mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Hjarvard argues in analysing media coverage of the Mohammad cartoons (2016), traditional newspapers have become more inclined to engage in opinion journalism, with increasing competition between print and digital news outlets. Similarly, Lundby (2019) argues that changes in the visibility of religion in the Norwegian daily press need to be analysed in conjunction with such structural changes in the newspaper industry. The analysis in this article shows that the newspapers co-structure political and religious change not only by representing various opinions in news articles and columns, but by taking a stand concerning the complex issues of how a democratic state should handle the freedom of religion.…”

Section: Complexity Continuity and Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was used as an abusive term, referring to uncontrolled immigration with the subsequent ruin of Swedish society and the censorship of 'political correctness' in the dominant media, suppressing critical opinions about the dangers of religious and cultural diversity which, as a consequence, had established its presence on social media. The image of Sweden as different from the other Nordic countries in terms of attitudes to religion and immigrants is also visible in the findings of two recently concluded research projects: The Role of Religion in the Public Sphere: A Comparative Study (NOREL 2009-2014, see Furseth 2018 1 and Engaging with Conflicts in Mediatized Religious Environments, CoMReL 2014-2018, see Lundby 2018). 2 As is pointed out in the introduction to this special issue, several international surveys reveal that Sweden stands out from the other Nordic countries as being more secular in terms of religious belief and practice in the population, and having a less pronounced connection between religion and national identity, and a higher tolerance of immigration and religious diversity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…This research was conducted in two projects. The first, the NOREL project, compared representations of religion in the daily press in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in 1988, 1998, and 2008(Lundby et al 2018Niemelä and Christensen 2013). The second project, The resurgence of religion?!…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

‘The Swedish Condition’: Representations of Religion in the Swedish Press 1988–2018

Lövheim

2019

The aim of this article is to examine changes and continuities in the coverage of religion in Swedish daily newspapers between 1988 and 2018. Previous research has shown that Sweden in comparison with other Nordic countries is more secular in terms of its population's religious belief and practice, and more tolerant of immigration and religious diversity. Against this background the article discusses whether the representation of religion in four selected newspapers during 2018 reveals a change with regard to trends identified in previous studies, covering the period between 1988 and 2008. It especially asks if such changes indicate the continuity of the 'Swedish condition', meaning a more tolerant approach to religious diversity as expressed in the daily press. The analysis shows that the coverage of religion in the Swedish press during the period between 2008 and 2018 develops through parallel trends of the continued acknowledgement of religious diversity, a heightened focus on Islam and the public presence of religion, and more contestation with regard to the political and social implications of this situation. In assessing these trends further study is needed concerning the interrelations between media representations of religious diversity and changes in other institutions in Swedish society such as politics, law, and education.

Negotiating Christian Cultural Heritage

Johnsen

Johansen²

2021

This article shows how Christmas in schools and public service media for children (PSM) involves negotiation and renewal of Christian cultural heritage. Across the studied cases from Norway and Denmark, we find that the institutions involved seek to realize community. However, community is approached differently in different settings. It is either understood restoratively as a process in which children, including immigrant children, become part of an existing societal community, or constructively as establishing an inclusive community across cultural and religious divides. A major finding is that activities associated with Christianity such as school services are framed in a language of ‘museumification’ and not as part of a living religious practice with the capacity to change and transform. Whereas Islam is positioned as a ‘religious other’, Christianity understood as culture facilitates creative heritage making, establishing community across religious divides. Contrary to political rhetoric, Christian cultural heritage in schools and PSM is by and large not dominated by a safeguarding nationalistic discourse. Rather, traditions and activities related to Christianity are negotiated and appropriated for the benefit of an inclusive community. A premise for making this succeed in schools and PSM is to negotiate Christian cultural heritage as culture, not as religion.