The Debate Regarding the Swedish Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities: Politics, Postmodernism and the Purpose of a Museum

In September 2016, the journalist Ola Wong wrote an op-ed in the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, “The Government Is Turning the Museums into Propaganda Centers.” Wong claimed to have seen the change at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm, arguing that it had shifted from intellectual position to “sensitiveness to shallow opinions in the media and politics.” The text started the debate that would continue for several years. The purpose of the article is to deconstruct the debate regarding the Swedish museums over the last eight years, paying a special attention to the debate between Wong and various representatives from Swedish museums. The analysis focuses on claims regarding the purpose of a museum made in the debate, using previous theoretical discussions on the topic. The study showed that the participants in the discussion were unable to agree on the nature of issue. This reminds of what Frida Beckman and Nora Hämäläinen call kultursidesmissförstånd, or a “feuilletonistic misunderstanding,” where the participants never agree on common ground, misinterpret and misunderstand each other. Moreover, they disagree on situation in question and hold incompatible views.