Gamla Uppsala: Staging Heritage in a Culture of Consumption

Abstract

It is well known that cultural heritage conservation is a part of contemporary society and, as such, mirrors contemporary society's values. In this study I examine how this is expressed in the way cultural heritage has been represented at Gamla Uppsala, Sweden, using our current zeitgeist as a culture of consumption as a starting point. The results show that antiquarian efforts at this site have contributed to creating a heritage site on display that emanates authenticity and clarity, which in this study is tied to the current spirit of consumerism. The results also show that the site museum's narratives to some extent offer an alternative to a culture of consumption, by providing narratives about the site through time, narratives that are multifaceted and require an effort to absorb.