CCHS Guest Researcher: Matilda Eriksson, University of Oxford
For one week in December, Matilda Eriksson, a PhD student at the University of Oxford, England, will be working at the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies in Gothenburg.
Research project
As a PhD student, Matilda Eriksson is part of the Arts & Humanities Research Council-funded pan-European collaborative research project 'Jewish Country Houses'. Matilda's research (The Private Made Public – A Connective & Comparative History of the Liebermann Villa & the Zorn House,) builds an interwoven life history between the Liebermann Villa (Berlin) and the Zorngården (Mora), the individuals who lived there, and the personal and professional networks they were part of.
The project is transdisciplinary and includes themes such as: The intersection of the private and the public, performativity, art collections and collector networks, Jewish history, modern European history, musealization processes, and historical and contemporary national narratives.
Background
Before Oxford, Matilda worked as a research assistant for the pilot project ‘Jewish Country Houses in Sweden’ at Uppsala University and was a volunteer at Museums For Future International.
Matilda has a Master in Museology from Lund University, and a Master of Sciences in Art History: Collecting & Provenance in an International Context from the University of Glasgow. As part of her degrees, Matilda has had internships at the Swedish National Heritage Board (Visby), the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC), and The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (Washington DC).
Guest visit at the University of Gothenburg
During her stay in Gothenburg, Matilda will present her research at both open events and seminars at the Department of Historical Studies. She will also participate in an episode of the podcast Shmues: Jewish Cultural Heritage in Sweden.
Matilda, what are you looking forward to during your visit to Gothenburg?
I am particularly looking forward to presenting my research in a Swedish context – somewhat paradoxically for the very first time, despite the fact that such a significant part of my project is rooted in my Swedish case study! It feels important and meaningful to share this work in a setting where many of the questions I explore are already present in ongoing cultural-historical discussions.
I am also very much looking forward to the conversations that will emerge in dialogue with fellow doctoral students and researchers at the University of Gothenburg. Having the opportunity to exchange ideas, perspectives, and experiences within the interdisciplinary environment of the CCHS is something I value greatly.
Finally, I am honoured to take part in events connected to the 250th anniversary of Jewish life in Sweden. It offers a valuable opportunity to place my research in dialogue with broader questions of Jewish cultural heritage, memory, and national narratives – both historically and in the present.
*The visit is part of the celebration of 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and is funded by the Katz Jewish Cultural Foundation.
Matilda will present her research at two public events the first week of December. More information can be found in the links below. Welcome!
For more information, contact the CCHS coordinator: chs@history.gu.se
