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Material politics:Approaching welfare history through urban water in 20th century Denmark
No full textThis article proposes the concept of ‘material politics’ as an analytical category for the field of Nordic welfare history. We suggest that our understanding of welfare as a socio-cultural and historical phenomenon can be further enriched if we engage analytically with the multiple ways in which the Nordic welfare societies have been imagined, materialized and negotiated through various forms of material networks, architecture and devices. Thus, to elucidate the analytical potential of material politics for welfare history, we begin the article by surveying recent interdisciplinary research on the entanglements of materiality and power. Specifically, we point to three approaches to material politics that, we suggest, are particularly relevant for the field of welfare history. In the second part of the article, we explore the applicability of material politics by examining two empirical cases, both related to urban water and bathing, that exhibit different ways in which materiality have helped to problematize, mediate and signify different aspects of urban welfare politics in 20th century Denmark. In doing so, we hope to spur further scholarly dialogue about the analytical categories through which we approach and interpret the social and cultural meaning of welfare in modern Nordic societies
Towards A Formal Registry Of Web Archives For Persistent And Sustainable Identification
No full textThe aim of this lightning talk is to encourage a plan and common understanding for establishment of a formal registry for web archives, based on the community input.The purpose of such a registry is to make it possible to identify web archives from which web materials have been used in research, either as part of collections or as specific references to web pages. No matter how a web element is referenced, it need to be traceable in the future where it was originally archived and then where it can be found in that point in the future. Using archive URLs, we already see that web archives shifts to new Wayback machines where the URL therefore changes, there are also examples of web archives where the placement of the resources are moved to a new domain, as e.g. the Irish web archive. Another benefit would be that the Persistent Web IDentifier automatic can be made automatically resolvable and constructable, but there are most likely many other cases where a formal registry can point to generic patterns for services, e.g. CDX summaries and special service calls.There have been attempts to make non-formal registries of web archives for example within IIPC (fx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Web_archiving_initiatives and https://netpreserve.org/about-us/members/). The challenge is that there are no unique way of identifying the actual archive by such registries, and it has no formal history track that could make it possible to use for old references to the web archive. This is bound to be a challenge, if have a 50 year horizon.<br/
Comedic Comparisons:Absurd Juxtapositions and the Value of Digressive Truths
No full textThis chapter explores the comic properties of ethnographic comparisons. It highlights the value of ‘digressive truths’ – provisional but forceful insights, emerging from the absurdity of superficial ethnographic juxtapositions. We draw on our recent experiences with hosting a science radio show for Danish national radio, which had the somewhat ambitious objective of uncovering the ten basic truths about humanity. Each episode was structured around unlikely comparisons between seemingly disparate phenomena. We argue that every ‘insight’ gained emerged because the unlikely comparisons were processed through a comedic structure of set-up and punchline. The outcome was, however, an awkward and often comedic paradox by digressively juxtaposing phenomena, which, by their very nature, could not be meaningfully compared. The twisted perspectives that were brought forth allowed for a different kind of gaze on social life, the so-called digressive truths, which exist only for as long as the effects of the comedic juxtaposition endure in surprise and laughter
A Review on the Development and Current Role of Ground-Based Geophysical Methods for Archaeological Prospection in Scandinavia
No full textThis chapter provides an extensive overview of the use of geophysics in archaeological research and cultural heritage management in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. It discusses the current status, role and acceptance of geophysical methods in each country, and outlines the state-of-the-art based on a synthesis of existing knowledge and experience. The authors consider the past, present and future of archaeo-geophysics in the individual regions, taking into account the academic, curatorial and commercial aspects of their use. This, in turn, serves as the basis for a discussion of the reasons for the varying degrees of acceptance and integration of the methods in each country, and aid the distribution of knowledge and experience gained across Scandinavia and beyond. The practical experience, application and general acceptance are not similar in the different Scandinavian countries. There is a general lack of integrating geophysical (and by extension non-intrusive methods) within the archaeological practice and guidelines. The case studies presented here show a range of archaeological applications of geophysics in Scandinavia, demonstrating how geophysical methods should by no means be considered ``new'' or ``untested''. While there is a need for targeted research, there has also been a challenge in disseminating the already generated knowledge and experiences to other actors within the archaeological community. Some of this can be explained by a lack of trained personnel, domestic competence and archaeological institutions undertaking research into the applicability of geophysical methods, and data-sharing and making reports accessible.This chapter provides an extensive overview of the use of geophysics in archaeological research and cultural heritage management in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. It discusses the current status, role and acceptance of geophysical methods in each country, and outlines the state-of-the-art based on a synthesis of existing knowledge and experience. The authors consider the past, present and future of archaeo-geophysics in the individual regions, taking into account the academic, curatorial and commercial aspects of their use. This, in turn, serves as the basis for a discussion of the reasons for the varying degrees of acceptance and integration of the methods in each country, and aid the distribution of knowledge and experience gained across Scandinavia and beyond. The practical experience, application and general acceptance are not similar in the different Scandinavian countries. There is a general lack of integrating geophysical (and by extension non-intrusive methods) within the archaeological practice and guidelines. The case studies presented here show a range of archaeological applications of geophysics in Scandinavia, demonstrating how geophysical methods should by no means be considered “new” or “untested”. While there is a need for targeted research, there has also been a challenge in disseminating the already generated knowledge and experiences to other actors within the archaeological community. Some of this can be explained by a lack of trained personnel, domestic competence and archaeological institutions undertaking research into the applicability of geophysical methods, and data-sharing and making reports accessible
