ABSTRACT

There is considerable scholarship to support the idea that shared cultural narratives—about what it means to belong, to contribute, to be of value—are very effectively mediated through the mass media, and, in particular, through popular fictional formats such as feature film. This article analyses two contemporary, state-supported Danish films, Nymphomaniac, Director’s Cut and Dronningen (Queen of Hearts), arguing that these cultural artefacts explore the notion of cultural citizenship: a mode of citizenship that I define as the capacity to speak and be heard, and which cultivates a sense of belonging. Through their portrayal of sexually transgressive female characters, these films grapple with and subvert the gendered expectations around femininity, appearing to reinforce the international reputation of Denmark as a politically progressive state. By situating these depictions within their broader social context, though, I illustrate how they present the agency to use one’s own voice as a right that is not, in fact, possessed equally by all citizens. Building on existing literature on cultural citizenship and the Scandinavian welfare state system, I advocate for increased scholarly attention to the role of cinema in creating space for identification and the exploration of belonging.

摘要

有相当多的学者支持这样一种观点，即共享文化叙事——关于归属、贡献、价值的意义——通过大众媒体非常有效地进行中介，特别是通过故事片等流行的虚构形式. 本文分析了两部由国家支持的当代丹麦电影，《花痴》、《导演剪辑版》和《红心皇后》)，认为这些文化制品探索了文化公民的概念：一种公民模式，我将其定义为说话和被倾听的能力，培养归属感。通过对性犯罪女性角色的描绘，这些电影努力克服并颠覆了对女性气质的性别期望，似乎加强了丹麦作为政治进步国家的国际声誉。然而，通过将这些描述置于其更广泛的社会背景中，我说明了它们如何将机构使用自己的声音作为一种权利，事实上并非所有公民都平等地拥有。以现有关于文化公民和斯堪的纳维亚福利国家体系的文献为基础，