Johan Hegardt

Biography

B. 1960. PhD in Archaeology, Uppsala University 1997, and associate professor (docent) in Archaeology 2007, Uppsala University. In his research Hegart has mainly been concerned with the cultural and existential role of archeology in the present. His most recent publication is Fyrtio minuter. En essä om arkeologins berättelser (2007).

Ongoing research

Hegardt is co-leader for a large project, funded by the The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, The Museum of National Antiquities and The Swedish Arts Council, to write the history of The Museum of National Antiquities. The work has a clear empirical focus in seeking to provide a thorough chronicle of the origin and development of this central institution, founded in 1866, for the knowledge, research and general shaping of national historical consciousness in Sweden. It will combine archaeological and historical knowledge and methods with contemporary museological theories and debates around the role of museums in modern culture (Bennet 1995, Message 2006). The investigation will also make use of the growing interest within the discipline of history of the way history is told, shaped and used within the overall project of shaping a public consciousness (Aronsson 2004). With the analytical tools of the new museology it will be possible to study the Historical museum not only as a historical phenomenon in its own right, how it was shaped and changed by political decisions. It can also be shown how it has been instrumental in influencing the historical consciousness of the Swedish population through its high profile exhibitions, in particular how it contributed to shaping the idea of Sweden, its culture, inheritance, and its historical role. The project fits well within the multidisciplinary research envisaged by the program, within which the representation of the past is seen as a decisive factor in the shaping of collective identities and communities. The project is already funded, but will be connected to the program. After its completion, Hegardt will be funded by the program for developing a more theoretical analysis of the findings of this project.

Selected bibliography

Relativ betydelse. Individualitet och totalitet I arkeologisk kulturteori (Uppsala Universitet, 1997, diss),

– “Man the interpreter. From natural science to hermeneutics in Swedish archaeology”, Current Swedish Archeology, 2000:8.

– The role of cultural heritage in a globalized world (Swedish national heritage board, 2006)

– Fyrtio minuter. En essä om arkeologins berättelser (OPIA 40, Uppsala University, 2007)