Culture for the sake of sustainability

This paper analyses the convergence of cultural policy and sustainability policy in Norway and demonstrates how sustainability has emerged as a new and pivotal rationale in cultural policy. Through an analysis of Norwegian policy documents released subsequent to the adoption of Agenda 2030 being “the main track in Norwegian politics” in 2019, we identify sustainability, and specifically social sustainability, as a prominent justification for cultural endeavours. Accordingly, we contend that sustainability has evolved into a new rationale within cultural policy – ‘culture for the sake of sustainability’ – even though the content in this rationale might not be all new. The findings are contextualized with the traditional rationales that underpin cultural policy in the Nordic countries, stimulating further discussion on the current changes in the landscape of cultural governance.