Roser, hjerter og tårer: En analyse av 22. juli-senterets skolekonkurranse ti år etter terrorangrepet i 2011

Abstract

How is the 22 July 2011 terrorist attack remembered? Drawing on the Norwegian 22 July Centre’s school competition in 2021, this article analyses students’ submissions, and interviews with teachers to explore how the attack is understood and communicated ten years after the event. The analysis shows that students’ representations are dominated by a harmonising narrative of Norwegian democracy emerging stronger from the attack. Roses and hearts appear as central visual symbols, while love, solidarity, and grief are conveyed as the most prominent emotions. By contrast, teachers describe classroom practices that emphasise critical engagement with ideology. The article concludes that collective narratives of love and democracy, reinforced through mediated images of roses and rose marches, shape the cultural memory of 22 July. At the same time, it calls for stronger criticism of sources and a deeper historical understanding of the ideological foundations of the attack. Key words: 22 July; terror; cultural memory; 22 July narratives; teaching about 22 July