Historisk arkeologi i Norge – en metadebatt

Abstract

In 1992, the constitution and future of Norwegian medieval and historical archaeology was debated in META. The discussion concerned the definition “historical archaeology” itself, and the potential need for this subfield to be established as a discipline in its own right. The aim was to strengthen a weak academic framework for this branch of archaeology. In the end, such a separate discipline was never established, and unlike in Denmark and Sweden, no university has a particular responsibility for teaching this subject. Together with a fragmented legal framework and cultural heritage administration for medieval and historical archaeology, this has led to a somewhat unclear definition and significance of historical archaeology in Norway today. The topic is taught in archaeology departments all over the country, and a relatively large number of archaeologists focus their research on historical time periods. However, there is great variation in the research methods and topics pursued, and relatively little focus on specialist approaches such as the use of primary historical sources. Increased specialisation of this sort may require improved inter-institutional coordination of university courses, as well as frameworks for continuous multidisciplinary research cooperation. It remains to be seen if imminent changes in the cultural heritage regulations, following a reform of the regional county administrations, will affect the future development of historical archaeology in Norway.