Kulturarkeologi

Kulturarkeologi, or cultural archaeology, is a subfield of archaeology that emphasizes the social and symbolic dimensions of material culture and the cultural processes that shape the archaeological record. It seeks to understand how objects, sites and landscapes participate in practices, identities, power relations, memory, and meaning within past societies, rather than focusing solely on chronology, technology, or subsistence.

Theoretical foundations are drawn from post-processual archaeology, practice theory, and related approaches in anthropology and cultural studies. Researchers aim to interpret how everyday life, religion, ritual, economy, and status were constructed and negotiated through material remains and spatial arrangements.

Methodologically, kulturarkeologi combines typological analysis with interpretation of spatial patterns, landscape context, and symbolic meaning. It integrates artefact studies with ethnography, archival sources, and oral histories where possible, and often employs GIS, landscape archaeology, and visual culture analysis.

Applications include understanding social differentiation, household organization, exchange networks, and cultural change over time, as well as issues of memory and heritage. The field increasingly intersects with heritage management, museum interpretation, and public archaeology, emphasizing accessible explanations of the past and the involvement of local communities in decisions about cultural resources.

Within Sweden and Scandinavia, kulturarkeologi is commonly used to refer to work that prioritizes cultural processes and interpretive analysis alongside material data, and it interacts with broader debates about identity, modernization, and the construction of cultural landscapes.