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Review of "Performing Policy: How Contemporary Politics and Cultural Programs Redefined U.S. Artists for the Twenty-First Century," by Paul Bonin-Rodriguez

the populist parties tend to be critical of the European Union, but not of cooperation between the Nordic states. Finland also has a significantly more war-torn twentieth-century history than the other Nordic countries, giving its commemorative culture a different tone than that of these countries, especially compared to Sweden, which recently celebrated 200 years of peace. An inclusion of more Finnish cases would thus have added further complexity to the image of Norden. Some of the other chapters also sometimes appear to overestimate the positive image that the Nordic countries and Nordic museums are working to project, ignoring less positive aspects that may be more represented in the perception of Norden outside of these institutional contexts. This is especially evident in Stuart Burch’s otherwise thought-provoking essay on banal Nordicism, where he contrasts the peaceful image of Norden that representatives of the Nordic countries work actively to project to, for example, the large weapons export of Sweden. His experience of this contrast is likely shared by many others, but, as is pointed out in other chapters, it can also be argued that more violent images of Norden have had a long international presence alongside the more peaceful ones. Vikings, Gustavus Adolphus, and the Finnish Winter War all remain parts of the image of Norden. In the last few years, there have been increased international sales for violent Scandinavian thrillers, such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Nor are the various images entirely unrelated to each other; the longstanding government support for the Swedish arms industry was originally motivated by an ambition to be independent of NATO, in order to enable Sweden to be neutral in international conflicts. In spite of this, this anthology offers an interesting series of case studies from various countries, illustrating the complex role played by heritage as a performed activity in creating the image and identity of Norden. As such, it should be useful both for those specifically interested in Nordic museum and heritage practices and for those interested in the role of museums and heritage in the construction of national and supranational identities in general, in America as well as in Europe. It will also make a good teaching text on both graduate and undergraduate levels. Museum practitioners, scholars, and students are all likely to find this book interesting and useful.