The presentation will focus on questions about museum collecting, both looking at collecting and its role in museums from a theoretical point of view as well as presenting specific examples. The overall argument is that developments in collecting can be a powerful way to develop museums. The presentation will draw on a recent article about collecting in The International Handbooks of Museum Studies as regards the theoretical perspective. Specific examples will be presented from recent projects regarding (1) the collecting system of the National Historical Museum in Sweden, (2) anatomical collections and museums in Sweden c. 1850-1950 and (3) the recent project/exhibition “History Unfolds” at the National Historical Museum.

Fredrik Svanberg is head of the department for cultural heritage at the Swedish National Maritime Museums in Stockholm. Educated in archaeology and specialised on the Viking Age, he has worked as research director at Statens Historiska Museer and published numerous books on the role of museums in present society.

The lecture is arranged by the Research Programme in Museology