Abstract
In Oslo, the capital of Norway, several urban development projects are in the making. One such project is the Fjord City project, which involves freeing up waterfront areas for housing, commerce, culture and recreation. It has been decided to relocate The Munch Museum to the area, and a new Opera House has already been built. Parallel to this project, a decision has been made to relocate several old museums without any plans for the existing premises. Both projects have triggered years of debate in the media and the general public, and many of the decisions are highly disputed. From the official documents and the public debate, it is evident that “culture” is vital in the urban development projects, but it is ambiguous what the value of “culture” consists of. Many citizens are questioning the disruption to historical continuity and they are confused about the political reasoning behind the decisions to abandon the old museum buildings. On the other hand, the relocation of the cultural institutions is intended to increase the city’s attractiveness and make it more interesting to investors, tourists and visitors. Against this backdrop, this thesis is devoted to the task of analysing – from discourse analytical perspectives – the relation between culture, capital and urban change.
The thesis consists of three published articles and an introduction chapter. The study is qualitative, and the empirical data includes a diverse selection of, among others, newspapers (letters to the editors, news journalism and comments) and strategic and political documents. The first article is a macro-analysis of the public museum debate inspired by Norman Fairclough’s version of critical discourse analysis (CDA). It has an abstract treatment of discourse and contains no linguistic analysis, but it draws on Fairclough’s way of accessing and interpreting societal macro phenomena on the basis of selected texts. The second article is an analysis of a plan of action from the Norwegian government called “Culture and Trade” (including images), based on CDA and a multimodal analysis. The method is based on Fairclough’s approach and perspectives from multimodal analysis (among others from David Machin and Gunther Kress). The third article is an analysis of the term “sustainable development” in the Fjord City project, inspired by Maarten A. Hajer’s concept of discourse coalitions. This article is an analysis of a debate about sustainable urban development, including, but not limited to, culture. Put together, the articles are meant to constitute a micro-macro approach, combining an analysis of a single document – the plan of action from the Norwegian government – and meso- and macro-interpretations based on selected texts from two ongoing public debates.
The study demonstrates that there are discourses aiming at removing barriers to capital flow and increasing Oslo’s attraction value. Neoliberal discourses echoing the “creative city” thesis are an important driving force in the two ongoing urban development projects. The plan of action is interpreted as a multimodal semiotic assemblage that inculcates neoliberal discourses on globalisation, competitiveness and flexibility. It leans towards an instrumental use of culture and creativity. In the discourse on sustainable development in the Fjord City project, culture is more or less lumped together with a conception of economic sustainability. It is claimed that sustainability has slipped from conservation of nature to conservation of (economic) development. The value of culture turns out to be primarily economic in many of the arguments in favour of the urban development projects; however, the interests opposing the development support cultural and historical values quite independently of the potential for future economic growth. The thesis concludes that the value of culture is mobilised to serve capital in an attempt to generate synergies and economic growth, and that economic motives are given more attention than culture itself. This may be understood as a neoliberalisation of values where spheres of social and cultural life are subjected to the logic of the market.
The thesis consists of three published articles and an introduction chapter. The study is qualitative, and the empirical data includes a diverse selection of, among others, newspapers (letters to the editors, news journalism and comments) and strategic and political documents. The first article is a macro-analysis of the public museum debate inspired by Norman Fairclough’s version of critical discourse analysis (CDA). It has an abstract treatment of discourse and contains no linguistic analysis, but it draws on Fairclough’s way of accessing and interpreting societal macro phenomena on the basis of selected texts. The second article is an analysis of a plan of action from the Norwegian government called “Culture and Trade” (including images), based on CDA and a multimodal analysis. The method is based on Fairclough’s approach and perspectives from multimodal analysis (among others from David Machin and Gunther Kress). The third article is an analysis of the term “sustainable development” in the Fjord City project, inspired by Maarten A. Hajer’s concept of discourse coalitions. This article is an analysis of a debate about sustainable urban development, including, but not limited to, culture. Put together, the articles are meant to constitute a micro-macro approach, combining an analysis of a single document – the plan of action from the Norwegian government – and meso- and macro-interpretations based on selected texts from two ongoing public debates.
The study demonstrates that there are discourses aiming at removing barriers to capital flow and increasing Oslo’s attraction value. Neoliberal discourses echoing the “creative city” thesis are an important driving force in the two ongoing urban development projects. The plan of action is interpreted as a multimodal semiotic assemblage that inculcates neoliberal discourses on globalisation, competitiveness and flexibility. It leans towards an instrumental use of culture and creativity. In the discourse on sustainable development in the Fjord City project, culture is more or less lumped together with a conception of economic sustainability. It is claimed that sustainability has slipped from conservation of nature to conservation of (economic) development. The value of culture turns out to be primarily economic in many of the arguments in favour of the urban development projects; however, the interests opposing the development support cultural and historical values quite independently of the potential for future economic growth. The thesis concludes that the value of culture is mobilised to serve capital in an attempt to generate synergies and economic growth, and that economic motives are given more attention than culture itself. This may be understood as a neoliberalisation of values where spheres of social and cultural life are subjected to the logic of the market.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |