Swedish Belief Narratives on Afterlife Earlier and Today
Author(s)
Anders Gustavsson*
ABSTRACT
My aim is to examine afterlife beliefs in Sweden, partly from the late 1800s and the early 1900s, partly from the 2000s. It will be a contrastive study of two different periods and not a diachronic study of developments across a continuous stretch of time. Since this is a study of popular beliefs, ordinary people are in the center. My research questions are: What types of popular beliefs can be traced in the pre-industrial society? What types of beliefs are characteristic of the present-day society? Which differences and similarities can be found in belief narratives of these periods? How can scholars get information about belief in afterlife in older times and nowadays? In the 1800s this is documented through narratives in folklore archives and inscriptions on grave memorials, nowadays—by means of memorial websites on the Internet.
My aim is to examine afterlife beliefs in Sweden, partly from the late 1800s and the early 1900s, partly from the 2000s. It will be a contrastive study of two different periods and not a diachronic study of developments across a continuous stretch of time. Since this is a study of popular beliefs, ordinary people are in the center. My research questions are: What types of popular beliefs can be traced in the pre-industrial society? What types of beliefs are characteristic of the present-day society? Which differences and similarities can be found in belief narratives of these periods? How can scholars get information about belief in afterlife in older times and nowadays? In the 1800s this is documented through narratives in folklore archives and inscriptions on grave memorials, nowadays—by means of memorial websites on the Internet.
Cite this paper
Gustavsson, A. (2014) Swedish Belief Narratives on Afterlife Earlier and Today. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 202-211. doi: 10.4236/jss.2014.211026.
Gustavsson, A. (2014) Swedish Belief Narratives on Afterlife Earlier and Today. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 202-211. doi: 10.4236/jss.2014.211026.
References
[1] Gustavsson, A. (2012) Cultural Studies on Folk Religion in Scandinavia. Novus, Oslo. [2] Gustavsson, A. (2009) Death in a 19th-Century Peasant Society. In: Folklore. Electronic Journal, 43, 30. http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol43/gustavsson.pdf [3] Gustavsson, A. (2014) Grave Memorials as Cultural Heritage in Western Sweden with Focus on the 1800s. Novus, Oslo. [4] Gustavsson, A. (2011) The Folk-Life Artist Carl Gustaf Bernhardson. Novus, Oslo. [5] Palmgren, A.-C. (2009) Bodily Lives in Virtual Worlds. In: Ethnologia Scandinavica, 39, 241. [6] Lundby, K., Ed. (2008) Digital Storytelling. Peter Lang Publishing Group, Bern and Pieterlen. [7] Krawcyk-Waasilewska, V., Meder, T. and Ross, A., Eds. (2012) Shaping Virtual Lives. Online Identities, Represen- tations, and Conducts. Lód′z University Press, Lód′z. [8] Kozinets, R.V. (2010) Netnography. Doing Ethnographic Research Online. Paperback, Los Angeles. [9] (2008) Minnesplatser pånätet. In: Dagens Nyheter, 6 October. [10] Alver, B.G. (1999) Paradise Recaptured. Experience, Interpretation and Narrative. In: Folk Religion. Continuity and Change, Universidade Nova, Lisboa. [11] Kraft, S.E. (2011) Hva er nyreligiØsitet. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo. [12] Saelid, G.I. and Mikaelsson, L. (2005) Kulturens refortrylling. NyreligiØsitet i moderne samfunn. 2nd Edition, Universitetsforlaget, Oslo. [13] Bowman, M. and Valk, ü, Eds. (2012) Vernacular Religion in Everyday Life: Expressions of Belief. Equinox, Sheffield, Oakville. [14] Walter, T. (2011) Angels Not Souls: Popular Religion in the Online Mourning for British Celebrity Jade Goody. In: Religion, 41, 29-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2011.553138 [15] Alver, B.G. (1999) Fra englevagt til englevinger. In: Myte, magi og mirakel i mØte med det moderne, Pax, Oslo. [16] Gustavsson, A. (2011) Cultural Studies on Death and Dying in Scandinavia. Novus, Oslo. [17] Konrad, K. (1994) Die Wiederkehr der Engel. In: Religion in Everyday Life, Almqvist & Wiksell International, Stockholm. [18] Margry, P.J. and Sanchez-Carretero, C., Eds. (2011) Grassroots Memorials: The Politics of Memorializing Traumatic Death. Berghahn Books, Oxford, New York. [19] www.tillminneav.se/showPage.php?id=.344 [20] www.tillminneav.se/showPage.php?id=34
[1] Gustavsson, A. (2012) Cultural Studies on Folk Religion in Scandinavia. Novus, Oslo. [2] Gustavsson, A. (2009) Death in a 19th-Century Peasant Society. In: Folklore. Electronic Journal, 43, 30. http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol43/gustavsson.pdf [3] Gustavsson, A. (2014) Grave Memorials as Cultural Heritage in Western Sweden with Focus on the 1800s. Novus, Oslo. [4] Gustavsson, A. (2011) The Folk-Life Artist Carl Gustaf Bernhardson. Novus, Oslo. [5] Palmgren, A.-C. (2009) Bodily Lives in Virtual Worlds. In: Ethnologia Scandinavica, 39, 241. [6] Lundby, K., Ed. (2008) Digital Storytelling. Peter Lang Publishing Group, Bern and Pieterlen. [7] Krawcyk-Waasilewska, V., Meder, T. and Ross, A., Eds. (2012) Shaping Virtual Lives. Online Identities, Represen- tations, and Conducts. Lód′z University Press, Lód′z. [8] Kozinets, R.V. (2010) Netnography. Doing Ethnographic Research Online. Paperback, Los Angeles. [9] (2008) Minnesplatser pånätet. In: Dagens Nyheter, 6 October. [10] Alver, B.G. (1999) Paradise Recaptured. Experience, Interpretation and Narrative. In: Folk Religion. Continuity and Change, Universidade Nova, Lisboa. [11] Kraft, S.E. (2011) Hva er nyreligiØsitet. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo. [12] Saelid, G.I. and Mikaelsson, L. (2005) Kulturens refortrylling. NyreligiØsitet i moderne samfunn. 2nd Edition, Universitetsforlaget, Oslo. [13] Bowman, M. and Valk, ü, Eds. (2012) Vernacular Religion in Everyday Life: Expressions of Belief. Equinox, Sheffield, Oakville. [14] Walter, T. (2011) Angels Not Souls: Popular Religion in the Online Mourning for British Celebrity Jade Goody. In: Religion, 41, 29-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2011.553138 [15] Alver, B.G. (1999) Fra englevagt til englevinger. In: Myte, magi og mirakel i mØte med det moderne, Pax, Oslo. [16] Gustavsson, A. (2011) Cultural Studies on Death and Dying in Scandinavia. Novus, Oslo. [17] Konrad, K. (1994) Die Wiederkehr der Engel. In: Religion in Everyday Life, Almqvist & Wiksell International, Stockholm. [18] Margry, P.J. and Sanchez-Carretero, C., Eds. (2011) Grassroots Memorials: The Politics of Memorializing Traumatic Death. Berghahn Books, Oxford, New York. [19] www.tillminneav.se/showPage.php?id=.344 [20] www.tillminneav.se/showPage.php?id=34