Kyrkoarkeologin igår, idag och i morgon? En spekulativ positionsbestämning.

Författare

Ing-Marie Nilsson

Redaktör

Hans Andersson
Jes Wienberg

Summary, in English

What is Church archaeology today, and what would we like it to be tomorrow? The occasion of the 90-year birthday of professor emeritus Erik Cinthio has afforded me the opportunity to reflect upon these two questions. Departure is taken in the 19th century, when medieval churches first became a topic of interest for researchers and architects. Church archaeology developed as a sub-discipline of art history, but gradually the focus shifted and archaeological questions came more and more in the forefront. In the early 1960s, Church archaeology became an integral part of Medieval archaeology (since 2005 Historical archaeology), a new academic discipline that was developed by professor Erik Cinthio at Lund University. In its 50-year history, Church archaeology has undergone several changes when it comes to technical developments, research focus and theoretical approach. In the 1980s and early 1990s, churches were viewed in an economic and social context as a means of analysing medieval society, and in the last decade there has been a move towards studies of more immaterial aspects, such as the religious and ideological significance of church buildings. Church archaeology is now a mature discipline with theoretical depth and broad fields of research, but it may face problems in the future if some issues are not addressed. Churches are a vital part of the national heritage, but in today's secular and multicultural society, research about churches needs to be made relevant for new categories of people. This may be achieved by recognizing the uniqueness of churches as a source material. Churches have deep connections both to history and to the present time, and they relate to many key aspects of the human existence. Also Church archaeology cannot develop in isolation. It can only be strengthened and enriched through meetings and confrontations with neighbouring disciplines such as art history, theology, ethnology and history.

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