Cultural Heritage, the invention of traditions, authenticity, the production of Swedish culture.

1. Cultural Heritage, the invention of traditions, authenticity, the production of Swedish culture.

2. Last time • Exploringeverydayculture • Discussion in group about the metaphore The ”cultural lens” • we all carry • etnocentrism • The lens – whatshapes the lens • Streckgubben – a picture of ourself as human beings and culturalbeings.

3. Familyand home • The process of building culture, carry and create • The bourgeoisie 19th Century – in contrast and in revolt – new demands • We saw Forsters novel, the film ”a room with a view” as an example

4. and the Film Fanny and Alexander directed by Ingmar Bergman • The home full off stuff – overloaded

5. One group mentioned the great impact of family and the environment you grow up within for shaping your lens – making you as a cultural human being. A raw material – can´t be human without other humans around. Changes and questioning the older generation

6. The children of the bourgeoisie became well educated citizens with great impact on society • 1930:ies – the functionalism

7. Today • Prepare for our trip to Lund next Friday. • Talk about another kind of creation of cultutral heritage – within science. • Again – the starting point will be anthropology and my own subject Ethnology

8. Ethnology • My subject is a sister discipline of Anthropology. In Sweden it first appeared as a subject in 1863 at the University of Uppsala. • It was a man called Gunnar HylténCavallius who used the word Ethnology in a title of his dissertation about Wärend and Wirdarna. Wärend is a region in southern Sweden and Wirdarna the name of the people living there.

9. The thing about this dissertation, which makes it still worth mentioning is that it was one of the first dissertations dealing with the culture and history of ”common” people.

10. The people (in a very public sense) was the main object of the study. • This in turn was a consequensce of a much broader interest in the ”people” in whole northern Europe at this time.

11. An intellectual ideology among students, artists, writers e t c about finding • the genuine, • The origin and unspoiled • And as mentioned before – it was found in nature and among the peasants.

12. Two reasons – in contrast to urban life and in contrast to industrialization and modernity. • The old and traditional life was fading away. Study peasants and common people to understand the ”Volkgeist” The soul of the people.

13. This as a part of understanding the nation not just as a state but also with a people with one shared language and one shared culture.

14. Erik GustafsGeijerGötiskaförbundeti Uppsala – study of the german philosopher Herder. Geiger wrote novels about genuine origine models – found in history and among peasants – • ”the Viking”. • The Farmer from Odal.

15. In the text in the compendium – Thomas HyllandEriksen – you find the same story in Norway – farmers from the specific mountain valleys in southern Norway.

16. But this was not just romanticism and part of understanding the origins of the nation. • “Volkgeist”

17. It also became a science – Ethnology – with a scientifical purpose. To map, explain, compare, describe and organize. • Cultural maps – the same cultural sphere • This is what Gunnar OlofHylténCavallius was part of when he wrote his dissertation.

18. Hyltén Cavallius • He travelled around in the area of Wärend – visiting villages and houses, talking to people and collecting artefacts – tools, bride gifts etc. • He was looking for evidence of old, original tradition apparent within • the names of villages, • peoples stories and beliefs and • also in material form. • old fashioned tools in the harvest for example.

19. By studying the present time (1860) he searched for traces back to a prehistoric age. • He was not interested in the present but in reconstruction of the past. • Find the origin.

20. Ethnology as a science at this time was established as the study of people (ethno means people) • Reconstruction of the past • Comparative method – compare different areas in Sweden, customs, artefacts, etc. Find the most old fashioned and unspoiled.

21. HylténCavallius collected a lot of stuff – brought it back home and eventually opened a more or less permanent exhibition with all items displayed. • Beginning of a museum.

22. There was another agenda as well. • Not just science but also an idea of rescue the traditional genuine, origin life that was disappearing as a consequence of new lifeconditions during 19th century.

23. A joke – that Ethnologists at the period worked as firemen – answering to the alarm, running around in rural Sweden trying to save as much as possible.

24. One of those • Arthur Hazelius (in todays text) 1833 -1901 • He was a schoolar – history, archeologyetc • Spent the summer holliday in Dalarna (as many intellectuals at the time)

25. Do you remember I showed you the painter Carl Larsson. National Romanticism – great influence – his home and family…

26. Hazelius at Rättvik – the younggirls in the boat over the lake – going to church. • The red ribbons in theirhair and traditionalfestiveclothing. • Hazelius felt a ”mission” . To save this origin and beauty for the present and coming generations.

27. Create a collection and a museum. • The issue of the article of today.

28. Hillström describes how Hazelius created the • Scandinavian Ethnographic collection (first with basically traditional clothes). 1873 • Later the Nordic Museum • And the open air museum Skansen

29. Hillström describes Hazelius mission as not only a part of nationalization, • Rather an effort to collect Scandinavian culturebeyond territorial borders – including Finland, Baltic countries and Northern Germany

30. Hazelius interest was to rescue and preserve for coming generations • Other interests in the museum was of course the creation of something genuinly Swedish – as a way of preserving the original Volkgeist. Politically

31. Within Science other considerations – make order, explain etc. • Scandinavia, Baltic countries and northern Germany a common cultural area – very different languages – but artefacts, beliefs myths, and traditions resemblance.

32. Within ScienceThe main theory connected to method • 1. The idea of evolution (Darwin 1859) • Evolutionism – inspired all kind of science – Cavallius in his reconstruction of the past – studied evolution – the traditional old fashioned development… • Also social sciences – evolution to explain class differences Herbert Spencer

33. Possible to study evolution • Typographical method • Oscar Montelius – (in the text – the one that takes over responsibility for the Nordic Museum after Hazelius death in 1901.)

34. Typological method • Classification according to general type. • Classifying items in order of their objective characteristics • Order items in series of development • From simple to more elaborated • The language – origin. Heritage – relatives. (family metaphore)

35. August Strindberg – mocking this science wrote a pamphlett called • Buttonology • Organising buttons (knapplådan).

36. Evolution and progress – but also the idea of devolution – the golden era of the past disappearing • The genuine unspoiled people –the decadence of modernity, industrialization, urbanization and consumtion.

37. Diffusionism • Diffusionism • Follow the items and map how the diffuse are spread in and between different areas – goal to find the origin – where did it start.

38. ”Cartography” • Making maps – to understand geographical prevalence • Flail – a tool or machine with a swinging action used for threshing – separeting grain from corn – different construction in different times. • A map put a pin for each – different dots

39. This is described also in the article. Montelius finds Hazelius collection as chaotic – without order. • He suggests that all items in collection is ordered geographical and chronological.

40. Instead of displaying all guilded items (clocks) from Germany, Scandinavia and Baltic countries in one room/cabinet… • Display all ”Swedish” items in one room, in order and chronologically – following type and time.

41. A new idea • Connection between territory item and origin • A thing made in Sweden by a Swedish artisan is Swedish. • A cupboard made in Netherlands for example – made for export to Sweden can never be Swedish.

42. A understanding of heritage almost as relation by blood.

43. The article discuss how a kind of open minded Haphazard (mostly gifts) collection is reshaped into a scientific and political project. • Science – evolution, relation and development connected to geography – suggesting that items are genuinely ”Swedish”, ”Norwegian”, ”Finnish”, • ”Danish” or ”German” because of connection to territory.

44. Closing borders • A political project • Hazelius ”scandinavist” – belived in a Scandinavian nation.

45. Up until 1809 Finland was part of Sweden • 1814 Denmark and Norway parted and Norway entered into a union with Sweden (ended 1905). • Politically interest in stressing ”Swedish” in contrast to ”Norwegian”.

46. This is the background of many of the ethnographic museums today – collection in order to show local, regional or national identity. • Division mentioned in text Ethnographic museums – primitive cultures Cultural Historical museums – Civilized cultures

47. Think of representationalso mentioned in the text • The British museum, London • Albert and Victoria museum, London • Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (the shop of black magic at Diagon alley in Harry Potter)

48. The Nordic Museum – the open air museum in Stockholm Skansen • And Kulturen – a cultural history museum • Geographical representation – chronological display – the stone axes –

49. Reflexion – why this collection/ who made the selection – why • Whos story origin is represented – who are absent, scilenced.

50. Final thought/theory • The use of history in creating a cultural heritage