A Spectre is Haunting Swedish Archaeology - The Spectre of Politics (original) (raw)
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Current Swedish Archaeology, 2021
Today Swedish archaeology and cultural heritage management are embraced by the xenophobic party Sweden Democrats. This is a problematic situation, and once again it is therefore time to discuss the rela tionship between archaeology, cultural heritage and politics – not as a consequence of theoretical considera tions and standpoints, but against the background of the harsh political reality. The overall aim of this pa per is to contribute to the discussion concerning which strategy, or strategies, Swedish archaeology and cul tural heritage management should adopt as a response to the present political situation and as a defence of a solidaristic and multicultural Swedish society.
Cultural Heritage in Sweden in the 2000s: Contexts, Debates, Paradoxes
Politeia, 2018
The article analyses the contexts, arguments and paradoxes of thinking about cultural heritage in Sweden of the 2000s when the topic achieved broad societal relevance in traditional media, internet fora, political communication and academic research. The discussion focuses on four themes: the normative criticism paradigm that has been increasingly influential in the heritage sector in recent years and the tensions and conflicts it provokes, recent heritage work on and with the until the last two decades silent ethnic minority Romani Travellers, the continuing media polemic around the Sweden Democrats and its heritage policies, and the heritage debate initiated by journalist and China expert Ola Wong in 2016. The analysis builds on projects and publications featuring heritage professionals, academics, NGO people and professionals with other kinds of cultural capital working in the heritage sector, as well as on illustrative debates and interviews in the mass media. The debates are often heavily polarized, interwoven with positions in other politically loaded issues such as globalization, migration and integration, and laden with questions of the legitimacy and authority of political and institutional actors.
Swedish views and engagements in international heritage politics
"This paper will account for my interview with Sofia Laurin, ministry secretary on the Ministry of Culture in Sweden and my own research in to the international conventions, treaties and inquires around cultural heritage. My aim is to give a basic view on how the Swedish government views and engages in international heritage politics and how different international agreements are being handled. Keywords: International Cultural Heritage Sweden Legislation Conventions Politics"
2012
How has a national narration been established and reproduced at Sweden's central museum for Prehistory and the Middle Ages, the Museum of National Antiquities (MNA, today named the National Historical Museum)? The chronological framework for answering this question here relates to the period from 1900 to 1970 with an emphasis on the 1920-50 period, the foundational time of the Swedish Welfare state. During these decades the MNA changed on many levels, including a new building and a new organizational structure, which entailed a change of exhibitions as well. At the same time the museum presents a remarkable continuity with regard to its objectives and agenda. During most of the 20th century the link between statistically processed object types and ethnographic interpretations was and is a discursive construction. However, the situation between 1900 and 1950 was unique with regard to the MNA exhibitions and the ideological profile of archaeology. What flourished then was an archaeology that might be characterized as nationally romantic, culturally conservative and racial, and one might add that this changed only gradually in the wake of the Second World War. Still, and despite certain sympathizers of Nazi Germany amongst its practitioners, Swedish archaeology cannot be compared to that developed in the context of Nazi ideology. It did not advocate or actively support racial war, euthanasia or aggressive racial hygiene (Baudou 2002). Nevertheless, Swedish archaeology formed part of an international context, where cooperation and correspondence between researchers, not least German ones, were a natural part of the practice. This article provides a brief outline of the theme of national identity and archaeological representation in Sweden, mainly through an interpretation of the displays of the early 20th century in the MNA.
The Scandinavian far-right and the new politicisation of heritage
Journal of Social Archaeology, 2018
The past 30 years have witnessed a radical shift in European politics, as new far-right wing parties have entered national parliaments. Driven by discontent, fear and the notion of cultural struggle, they have gradually come to twist the political conversation around their core issues. For many far-right parties, cultural heritage is one such issue. While this ought to put them on the radar of scholars studying heritage politics, the topic of far-right heritage policy remains largely unexplored. This article seeks to ignite this field of enquiry by taking a closer look at what far-right heritage policies actually look like. Focus is set on three Scandinavian far-right parties with seats in national parliaments: the Danish People’s Party, the Progress Party in Norway and the Sweden Democrats. By examining the notion of heritage put forth in their party manifestos and the heritage priorities expressed in their parliamentary budget proposals, we consider the weight of their rhetoric.
Being through the past. Reflections on Swedish archaeology and heritage management
World Archaeologies: A Comparative Perspective. Ed: Ludomir Lozny. Springer Press., 2011
Narratives of archaeology and cultural heritage have no relevance for the people who lived in the past; they are only significant in the context in which they are expressed. Hence the meaning of these narratives must be in the present. The question is then, why the narratives of archaeology and heritage are significant at all? One possible answer is that they are important for our sense of Being. Through these narratives, archaeological remains and cultural heritage become a part of our own Existence, of our Being-in-the-world. We not only are living in history but also live with it, and one of the purposes of history is to give perspectives on our Being and Existence in the world. Such perspectives easily let us understand cultural heritage and archaeological remains as belonging to our society and us. In this essay, we discuss and analyse Swedish archaeology and heritage management from the perspective of our present Being-in-the-world. We begin with a brief historical overview demonstrating how Swedish archaeology and heritage management have for centuries been consistently involved in the construction of a nationalistic and essentially ethnic identity, creating a confident standpoint from which the Swedes can judge their surroundings. Thus the existential possibility that always lies within the narratives of archaeology and heritage becomes a political and ontological tool, an instrument easily used to protect the Swedish existence against perceived threats, from the eerie inside the nation itself, from the Other that defines the Us and the Ours. This potentially problematic situation is discussed in relation to the Field, the Law, and with the example of a recently produced Handbook of Contract Archaeology.
Archaeology as Part of the Swedish Support to Developing Countries
Archaeology can play an important paty in foreign aid programs as a factor of enchancing cultural identity. Many of the Third World countries have until quite recently been under the rule of some colonial power. Having regined independance, questions conceming the indigenous historical "roots" soon come into focus. The archaeological remians reach far beyond all other more or less biassed sources. They are certainly open to various interpretations but are still of a totally neutral character. This article deals with the activities and results of Swedish support to archaeological research in some Third World countries, financed by the Swedish Agency for Research in Developing Countries (SARECl with the involvement of the Swedish Central Board of National Antiquities.
The changing roles of archaeology in Swedish museums
Current Swedish Archaeology, 2017
In the last few decades, archaeology in Swedish museums have undergone major changes. From being a recognizable part of museum activities, archaeology has more and more disappeared from the local museums. In a competitive market, a transparent economy is required. No grants, subventions or contribution founded money allowed. All work must be financed by the market. In many regions, the consequence of this has been that earlier archaeological departments at museums have been cut off from the rest of the museum organization. Instead of being run by a museum, contract archaeology is now run by companies. As a result museums have lost their connection to research-based knowledge production within archaeology, and contract archaeology has lost its link to the many skills a museum holds.