The Swedish Apparatus of Contract Archaeology and its Entanglement with Society

Abstract

The Swedish contract archaeology (CA) system has witnessed changes and new goals in the last couple of decades, becoming more steered by the market while new demands have come from Swedish cultural heritage legislation and policies for producing relevant knowledge to society and widening the inclusion of the public. In this paper I examine the Swedish CA system and programs from its three main parties, according to critical heritage studies by Rodney Harrison, especially focusing on the governing tool ‘apparatus’. Criticism, conveyed for instance in a recent survey, has claimed that the apparatus of Swedish CA is unsustainable and inefficient in its present form. This includes deficiencies in the relationships between the parties and with actors and stakeholders outside the system. There is also a democratic discrepancy towards the new heritage goals. I suggest that Harrisons critical view on heritage could be used to argue for changes in the role and boundaries of Swedish CA, taking into accord the conditions of local contexts, interests and needs of communities. An active stance for a more dialogical and inclusive nature of communication could diminish the risk for dissonance, conflict, and negative impacts while creating conditions for positive outcomes and values in society.