Anne Eriksen is a Professor in Cultural History at the University of Oslo, Norway, and an expert on collective memory and forms of historical knowledge. Among her recent publications are Negotiating Pasts in the Nordic Countries (ed. with. J.V. Sigurdsson, 2009) and Museum. En kulturhistorie (2009).
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. Heritage and Cultural Memory
Chapter 2. In Search of Ancient Heroes
Chapter 3. Antiquarianism and Epistemic Virtue
Chapter 4. Ruins and Time
Chapter 5. Mediaeval Monuments
Chapter 6. Museums to Preserve Our Past
Chapter 7. Monuments and Memorials
Chapter 8. Cultural Property, Cultural Heritage
Chapter 9. Heritage Today
References
Index
Eighteenth-century gentleman scholars collected antiquities. Nineteenth-century nation states built museums to preserve their historical monuments. In the present world, heritage is a global concern as well as an issue of identity politics. What does it mean when runic stones or medieval churches are transformed from antiquities to monuments to heritage sites? This book argues that the transformations concern more than words alone: They reflect fundamental changes in the way we experience the past, and the way historical objects are assigned meaning and value in the present. This book presents a series of cases from Norwegian culture to explore how historical objects and sites have changed in meaning over time. It contributes to the contemporary debates over collective memory and cultural heritage as well to our knowledge about early modern antiquarianism.