EAA 2023: Abstract

One of the most striking features of Norwegian archaeology is the strong dominance of development-led archaeology. Legislation going back to the beginning of the 20th century and the strong position of the university museums in Norwegian archaeology are two important factors explaining this dominance. The university museums are still doing the vast majority of development-led excavations, combining this activity with research, collection management and development as well as education and public outreach. This system has acted as a vital ecosystem of knowledge for decades.
The last twenty years Norwegian archaeology has been considerably influenced by globalism, marked liberalism and identity thinking. The strong connection between development-led archaeology and the museums has given this influence a distinct character, presumably slightly different from other national systems. This paper discusses some of these relations, questioning whether these factors have challenged the established system of knowledge production in Norwegian archaeology. This is a pertinent question as the government has initiated a total revision of the Cultural Heritage Act, which has given juridical legitimacy to the present integration of development-led archaeology into the universities’ knowledge production.

Development-led archaeology, University museums, knowledge production, Norway

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Hakon Glorstad¹

Karl Kallhovd¹