Ranking cultural heritage nationally is not smart

Museum directors in Norway are pushing back against a proposal by Haagen Poppe, cultural policy spokesperson for the Conservative Party, to create a national prioritization list for cultural heritage. While agreeing that emergency preparedness for cultural heritage needs strengthening, they argue that politicians should not create such lists.

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Like little as the health minister should stand in the emergency room and prioritize patients, politicians should create lists of which parts of our cultural heritage are most valuable.

In a response published in Aftenposten, the museum directors state that museums already have professional systems for securing and prioritizing cultural heritage, including collection plans and emergency procedures developed by experts. They assert that the national museum network provides a comprehensive overview of cultural heritage, and the real challenge lies in the unequal financial resources available to museums, which hinders their ability to care for collections.

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As museum directors, we do not recognize ourselves in the depiction that chance rules. Securing and prioritizing cultural heritage has been the museums' societal mission for generations.

The directors emphasize the principle of "arm's length" from political authorities, which is central to their work and ensures professional judgment. They question whether politicians should override this professional discretion, citing the Cultural Heritage Act. They also highlight the importance of reflecting the social and cultural complexity of society, including the heritage of indigenous peoples and national minorities, which they fear might be overlooked in a politically driven prioritization list.

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The challenge is that museums have very different economic prerequisites for carrying out this work. Historical inequalities in funding have not yet been corrected, and this affects the ability to care for the collections.

While supporting increased coordination and knowledge sharing in emergency preparedness, the museum leaders believe that a national ranking of cultural heritage is neither professionally sound nor necessary, especially in uncertain times. They advocate for integrating cultural heritage more clearly into municipal and county emergency plans, recognizing its role in collective memory and identity.

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We agree with Poppe that preparedness in the cultural heritage field must be strengthened. Museums must be given a clearer role in municipal and county emergency plans.