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The Poorhouse as materialized poverty in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Sweden

Hansson, Martin LU orcid (2025) p.95-106
Abstract
This paper discusses how archaeologists might investigate issues of poverty by focusing on poorhouses. The poor and deprived are rarely prominent objects in archaeological research, probably because archaeologists find it difficult to relate to a concept such as poverty. At the same time, there is material culture that can be clearly linked to poverty. One such materiality is poorhouses. While the care of the poor was a matter for the church in the Middle Ages, a more organised poverty relief system developed in Sweden in the early modern period. The article discusses how poorhouses were built, by whom, and where they were located in the landscape, focusing on a number of rural and urban examples. It is argued that poorhouses tell a... (More)
This paper discusses how archaeologists might investigate issues of poverty by focusing on poorhouses. The poor and deprived are rarely prominent objects in archaeological research, probably because archaeologists find it difficult to relate to a concept such as poverty. At the same time, there is material culture that can be clearly linked to poverty. One such materiality is poorhouses. While the care of the poor was a matter for the church in the Middle Ages, a more organised poverty relief system developed in Sweden in the early modern period. The article discusses how poorhouses were built, by whom, and where they were located in the landscape, focusing on a number of rural and urban examples. It is argued that poorhouses tell a variety of stories about society’s attitudes towards the poor. (Less)
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author
organization
alternative title
Fattighus som materialiserad fattigdom i 1700- och 1800-talens Sverige
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Poorhouses, historical archaeology, Poverty, Sweden, poorhouses, poverty, building archaeology, Sweden
host publication
Poverty and Plenty in Scandinavia and the North Atlantic : Later Historical Archaeologies of Material Excess and Scarcity - Later Historical Archaeologies of Material Excess and Scarcity
editor
Lucas, Gavin ; Andersen, Vivi Lena ; Maxwell, Agusta Edwald ; Monie Nordin, Jonas and Ylimaunu, Timo
pages
12 pages
publisher
Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN
9781350455832
DOI
10.5040/9781350455863.ch-008
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aa71db97-ff64-49d5-93b2-dba8588c1763
date added to LUP
2025-06-09 13:54:45
date last changed
2025-06-19 17:04:13
@inbook{aa71db97-ff64-49d5-93b2-dba8588c1763,
  abstract     = {{This paper discusses how archaeologists might investigate issues of poverty by focusing on poorhouses. The poor and deprived are rarely prominent objects in archaeological research, probably because archaeologists find it difficult to relate to a concept such as poverty. At the same time, there is material culture that can be clearly linked to poverty. One such materiality is poorhouses. While the care of the poor was a matter for the church in the Middle Ages, a more organised poverty relief system developed in Sweden in the early modern period. The article discusses how poorhouses were built, by whom, and where they were located in the landscape, focusing on a number of rural and urban examples. It is argued that poorhouses tell a variety of stories about society’s attitudes towards the poor.}},
  author       = {{Hansson, Martin}},
  booktitle    = {{Poverty and Plenty in Scandinavia and the North Atlantic : Later Historical Archaeologies of Material Excess and Scarcity}},
  editor       = {{Lucas, Gavin and Andersen, Vivi Lena and Maxwell, Agusta Edwald and Monie Nordin, Jonas and Ylimaunu, Timo}},
  isbn         = {{9781350455832}},
  keywords     = {{Poorhouses; historical archaeology; Poverty; Sweden; poorhouses; poverty; building archaeology; Sweden}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  pages        = {{95--106}},
  publisher    = {{Bloomsbury Academic}},
  title        = {{The Poorhouse as materialized poverty in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Sweden}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/221029196/MH_Poorhouses_published_version.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.5040/9781350455863.ch-008}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}