The construction of Värmland identity : A visual Text Analysis of Värmlands Museum’s permanent exhibition Värmlandliv in 2025

The aim of this study is to deepen the understanding of museum’s role in society and to investigate how Värmland's cultural heritage is constructed in the main exhibition Värmlandsliv and what effects this may bring. The method consists of a visual text analysis and utilizes an analytical method inspired by previous research in the field. The results are analyzed using Antonio Gramsci's hegemony theory, Michele Foucault's discourse theory, Judith Butler's ideas regarding performativity and Stuart Hall's theories regarding identity. The results of this study indicate that a hegemonic effect may be interpreted from the exhibition, which constructs a representation of Värmland as a historically rich region with a culture that is ever present, accessible, and in tune with contemporary cultural policies. Signifiers such as the landscape, artifacts, being in harmony with nature, self-sufficiency, endurance, pride, dialect, hospitality, innovation, success, entrepreneurship and industry, democracy, humanism, liberation, and development, construct a notion of a regional identity within the exhibition. In addition, this study shows that hegemonic processes can occur even without the intention of influencing a society's norms and values.