This article re-thinks the concept of sacred in terms of
sacralization, or as strategic action in a certain field of
possibilities, and as sacredness, or as a resource to be appropriated in
strategic action, aiming to accumulate or exchange specific capitals.
Secondly, it looks into national symbols and their uses in the field of
cultural production, especially the media in terms of sacralization and
sacredness. Its Empirical data consists of media discussions around
artworks re-interpreting Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
(1867– 1951) as a Finnish national symbol in the 2000s and 2010s. The
dynamics of the field of cultural production and media affect the way
Mannerheim is re-interpreted, and how these re-interpretations are
received. Mannerheim as a sacred symbol can be used in many ways to
accumulate specific capitals in the field of cultural production.