This essay is about use, misuse and non-use of history in politics. To recognize genocide is a use of history that has been established in politics, but also sparked debate. The position of non-use of history in international policy towards Turkey's denial policy has increasingly been replaced by recognition of genocide as a matter of making up with the story, moral consider, and where fundamental issues of culture, identity, history and morality has become guiding element in the discourse behind European expansion and integration policies. A breakthrough for this change is due to the Cold War's end; since the 1980s it has become possible to realize the humanitarianism which has its roots in the Enlightenment humanism underlying the United Nations, and later the EU conventions on human rights and genocide conventions. A genocide concept has become an important discourse in world politics that puts moral pressure on states to act. Parliamentary recognition of the genocide of the Armenians, Assyrians / Syrians / Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks, is partly redress for the victims and their descendants, but also an opportunity for reconciliation.

The aim of this thesis was to compare the use of the Hasli legend in Sweden and Switzerland during the 19th century. The Hasli legend, which derives from the middle ages, talks about Swedes and Frisians that emigrated to the central part of Switzerland. By comparing the use of the myth in the two nations I wanted to analyze how it was used for shaping identities and how the use varied with, and was affected by, the social context. I have studied historians work about the national Swedish and Swiss history, published during the 19th century. I chose the comparative method and have taken the social context and transnational aspects into consideration. The use of the myth was more uniform in Sweden than in Switzerland, but in both countries the myth was related to the nation and its origin. The national identity is emphasized, but is overlapping other identities. In both countries the use of the myth originates from the ideas of nationalism and national romanticism, but while the use of the myth in Sweden can be explained by the Gothicism and the idea of a Scandinavian nation, the use of the myth in Switzerland was a result of the creation of the Swiss nation in the 19th century. / Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka Haslisagans identitetsskapande funktion i Sverige och Schweiz under 1800-talet. Sägnen som härstammar från medeltiden handlar om att utvandrare från Sverige och Friesland ska ha bosatt sig i Schweiz. Genom att jämföra bruket av sägnen i de två nationella rummen ville jag undersöka hur skapandet av identiteter varierade med och påverkades av den samhälleliga kontexten. Jag har undersökt historikers verk utgivna under 1800-talet, som behandlar den schweiziska respektive svenska nationella historien. Bruket av sägnen har undersökts genom en komparativ ansats, där den samhälleliga kontexten och transnationella aspekter har tagits i beaktande i analysen av resultatet. Undersökningen visar att bruket av sägnen var mer enhetligt i Sverige än i Schweiz, men i samtliga verk länkas sägnen samman med den egna nationen och dess ursprung. Den nationella identiteten betonas, men är överlappande med andra identiteter. Bruket av sägnen kan i båda länderna länkas samman med nationalismen och nationalromantiska idéer, men medan det svenska bruket av sägnen förklaras med göticistiska och samskandinaviska idéer, så svarar det schweiziska bruket av sägnen mot behovet att skapa en schweizisk nation.

Uppsatsen studerar historiebruket av Amaltheadådet och gärningsmannen Anton Nilson. Metoden som andvänds för studien är en kvalitiativ innehållsanalys med hermeneutisk läsning av tidningsartiklar från 18 olika dagstidningar som skrivits varje decennium från 1918 till april 2018. Klas-Göran Karlssons teoretiska typologi om historiebruk fungerar som ett kategoriseringsverktyg för att dra en slutsats i hur Amalthea och Anton Nilson skildrats i svensk press. Karlssons ideologiska historiebrukskategori har dessutom legat till grund för studiens teoretiska ansats som menar på att bruket av Amalthea och Anton Nilson förändras med tiden och följer den ideologiska samhällsutvecklingen. Studien slår fast att Amaltheadådet och Anton Nilson i nörjan av undersåkningsperioden används som en symbol för arbetarklassens kamp mot ett system som försakat dem. När det globala och även det svenska samhället förändras efter attentatet mot World Trade Center och lastbilsattacken på Drottninggatan i Stockholm förändras också bruket av Amalthea och Anton Nilson. Vid millenieskiftet blir Amalthea och Anton Nilson en symbol för terrorismens fasor.  Amaltheadådet och Anton Nilson har från 1900-talet till 2000-talet fått ett förändrat symbolvärde. Från att vara starkt förknippad som arbetarklasshjälte och de svagas kampför rättvisa till att framställas som en radikal galning och jämställas med terrornåtvärk som IS och Al-Qaida / The essay studies the use of history concerning the Amalthea bombing and convicted offender Anton Nilson. The method used for the study is qualitative analysis of content in news articles from 18 different newspapers written every ten years from 1918 to April of 2018. The theoretic typology of Klas-Göran Karlsson regarding use of history works as a tool of categorization to form a conclusion of how the bombing of Amalthea and Anton Nilson has been portrayed in Swedish mass media. It has furthermore laid the foundation for the theory of this study. Karlssons category of ideological use of history brought the conclusion that the use of history of Anton Nilson and the bombing of Amalthea will be affected by the flow of ideological ideas throughout the time period. The study confirms that the Amalthea bombings and Anton Nilson were, in the beginning of the studies timeframe, used as a symbol for an understanding of the working-class struggle against a system that has denied there rights. At the turn of the millennium the Amalthea bombing and Anton Nilson becomes the symbol of something completely different. The Amalthea bombings and Anton Nilson becomes the symbol of the horrors concerning terrorism. The Amalthea bombings and Anton Nilson has from the 20th century to the 21th century changed in symbolism from a strong and compassionate hero to a despised radical no better than other terrorist networks like IS or Al-Qaeda.

This paper analyzes two selected passages from six children’s Bibles with respect to their use of the narrator’s voice and focalization. This means that the texts are analyzed with a focus on who is telling the story and from whose perspective it unfolds. The analyzes are also built upon what has been added or taken away from the Bible texts and what functions the illustrated pictures have. In this way, the result can also be analyzed through a theory about use of history; that is the idea that morality and identity formatting shape history telling. In this study the different children’s Bibles tend to lift different aspects of the Bible stories. Even though the aims of the book writers cannot be known for sure, their intentions of moralizing or shaping a certain Christian or Jewish identity, such as the institution of pesach or the communion, can be anticipated. Furthermore, the study shows that the children’s Bible genre is often very didactic, while moralization is generally avoided in newer versions. A general distinction between how the Old Testament and the New Testament stories are told can also be spotted. In the latter one, the reader receives more insight about the characters inner and outer speech, which could make it easier to identify and sympathize with them.

Denna uppsats fokuserar på identitetsskapande med hjälp av historieämnet. Utifrån olika litteraturer och dess innehåll på hur man kan arbeta med detta identitetsskapande, kommer denna uppsats att ge konkreta förslag på hur lärare kan arbeta med det. Varje människa har ett behov av en tillhörighet, och en identitet. Identitetsskapande ska främja dessa behov men även utveckla en förståelse för vem man är i den samvaron som man lever i. Utifrån begrepp och historiedidaktik kommer identitet och identitetsskapande att förklaras och problematiseras.  Vidare ska detta arbete undersöka historieämnet och läroplanen och hur dessa förhåller sig till identitetsskapande. Arbetet kommer lyfta fram normativlitteratur/ styrdokument. Utifrån dessa dokument kommer det även att diskuteras samhällets påtryckningar av de läromedel som används vid historieundervisning. För att förstå sig på samhällsförändringar kommer det även diskuteras om faktorer som leder till dessa förändringar. I detta arbete kommer även en jämförelse av läroplaner, för att förtydliga den samhällsstruktur som förändrats med tiden.

The battle at Klågerup: Culture of history and the use of history in conjunction with Sweden’s last peasant uprising. During the early 1800’s the southern part of Sweden and its people was subjected to change in terms of agricultural management, also known as the great agricultural reform. This was only one of several aspects which affected the peasants towards a time of lesser status and rights. Eventually an unforeseen to some degree forced enlistment of 15. 000 peasants in southern Sweden became a decisive moment in Sweden’s history. In which the commoners revolted against the Swedish state at varying locations. However, one area in particular was affected by the peasants’ accumulated discontent. Namely a small village called Klågerup, which resulted in the Swedish government quelling the uprising in what can only be referred to as a blood bath. Approximately 23 peasants were killed in 1811 while the Swedish cavalry suffered no casualties according to records. The aim of this essay examines how people have used the memory of the Klågerup riots, in conjunction with two historical perspectives, which are culture of history and the use of history. The examination is done through the lens of a qualitative hermeneutic text analysis. The interest of examining the Klågerup riots in conjunction with the specific above-mentioned perspectives is based on an inspiration of Anders Dybelius’s thesis called “A sustainable memory? The use of history in relation to Georg Carl von Döbeln 1848 – 2009”. The material used in this examination includes newspapers, a play, a novel, scientifically researched historical literature, one historical monument and one building of historical value. All of the used material for analysis is referred to as artefacts. The analysis through the help of Klas-Göran Karlssons and Ulf Zanders typology in regard to use of history, and Dybelius’s perspective of local-ideology show interesting results. The result indicates that multiple purposes for the use of history is applicable on a majority of the used artefacts. Furthermore, regarding the culture of history based on Dybelius’s rendering of Jörn Rüsens tripartite thematization in terms of culture of history, resulted in three artefacts being categorized into each of the three themes. In total nine artefacts were analyzed regarding both the use of history and culture of history. A didactic reflection upon the use of history, culture of history and history awareness is presented in the end of this paper regarding how one might implement the three into the classroom and role of teaching

This essay aim to study the hashtag and trend #MedievalTikTok, popular on the TikTok mobileapplication starting late summer 2020. The trend will get looked at through concepts like use of history (historiebruk). Some of the main ways the trend uses history is for entertainment, socialization and commercialization. Michael Nordberg’s book "Den dynamiska medeltiden" is also central for the text and works as an academical and theoretical basis. Nordbergs workquestions the idea of the ”dark middle ages”, disproving many unfavorable misconceptions about the period. #MedievalTikTok centers on users acting out the middle ages through simple costumes, shakespearean language, TikTok’s in-app editing features and medieval style covers of pop songs. Bardcore, as this genre of music is called, exploded in popularity in early summer2020. Artist Stantough’s cover of Shakira’s ”Hips don’t lie” is particularly significant in relation to the trend. #MedievalTikTok tends to replicate the same ideas that Nordberg questions. For example the prevalence of witch hunts is greatly exaggerated as well as the absolute rigidity of gender roles and class. The middle ages depicted in the trend is also very geographically limited, with Western Europe being the centerpiece. Northern Europe and vikings are for example overlooked. Other signifiers of the trend is a compression of time and mixups with preceding and following eras such as the early modern period. Popculture, limited school hours dedicated to the middle ages and comedic overstatements influence the trends dated portrayal of the medieval period.

De historier vi berättar för varandra berättas med ett syfte. Men vem berättar dem och med vilket bakomliggande syfte? I denna kvalitativa studie som bedrivs som en komparativ flerfallstudie undersöks och jämförs användningen av det existentiella historiebruket i lokalhistoriska publikationer. Författarna till dessa publikationer har antingen en samisk kulturell bakgrund eller en kulturell bakgrund som kan ses svara mot nybyggarkulturen. De lokalhistoriska publikationerna handlar om orterna Arvidsjaur och Glommersträsk samt de personer som där levde. Uppsatsen visar på hur författarna drivs av en tydlig personlig tendens och att valet av berättelser har ett bakomliggande syfte. Uppsatsen visar även hur författarna konstruerar ett ”vi” och ”dom” som primärt definieras av antingen etnicitet eller moraliskt handlande och att de använder denna konstruktion för att styrka det historiska narrativ författarna vill förmedla. / The stories we tell each other aret old with a purpose. But who tells them and for what reason? In this qualitative study, witch is conducted as a comparative multiple-case study, the use of existential history use in local history publications is examined and compared. The autors of these publications have eather Sami cultural background or a cultural background that can be seen as corresponding to the settler culture. The local history publications are about the places Arvidsjaur and Glommersträsk as well as the peaople who lived there. The essay shows how the authors are driven by a clear personal tendency and that the choice of stories has an underlying purpose. The essay also shows how the authors construct a ”we” and ”them” that is primarily defined by eather ethnicity or moral action and that they use this constuction to strengthen the historical narrative the authors want to convey.

The purpose of this qualitative interview study is to understand junior high school students' perception of the use of historical video games for learning and from this identify and analyze how the students perceives story-driven historical games in relation to developing historical empathy and a sense of history. The study also seeks to understand student’s perception of potential challenges with using historical digital games for learning purposes. The theoretical basis of the study is grounded in a history didactic perspective on game-based learning and a genealogical approach to history. The study uses semi-structured interviews with five junior high school students aged fourteen to fifteen years. The study found that all of the students who participated in the study had a perception that historical games may increase students’ understanding of history and that the increased sense of understanding takes place above all through the games ability to let students immerse themselves in the games story. Furthermore, the study shows that most students had a perception that the games allowed them to be virtually present in history, which can help students view the world and the people in it from different perspectives, to reflect on history, see connections between different historical events and to form their own thoughts about history. Perceptions of several potential challenges with using the games as teaching aids were also found. The most distinctive challenges according to the students were an increased distractibility, requirements for prior knowledge and interest in the games, structural challenges, and a perceived lack of historical accuracy in the games.

This thesis aims to shed light upon three related research areas with the medieval period at their core: medieval Europeanization, the historiography of medieval places, the importance of the cultural environment and medieval period for the present day. By these means several current research angles are integrated within medieval research, the history of science and cultural heritage research. Six investigations of medieval central places in Ångermanland and Medelpad in northern Sweden are used to exemplify these issues. The use of hermeneutic theory emphasises the relationship between the present day community, the individual and the interpretation of history. The sites presented in the thesis represent the entire medieval period from the 11th Century to the start of the 16th Century. Two of them – Kvissle chapel and “Skelettåkern” (=The Skeleton Field) in Björned – functioned as private Christian churches or graveyards; two were important harbours – Sankt Olofshamn (=Saint Olof’s Harbour) and Kyrkesviken (=Church bay); two functioned as military castles or fortifications – Styresholm/ ”Pukeborg” and Bjärtrå stronghold. In addition to these, four medieval stone parish churches have been examined: the old church at Alnö in Medelpad, and the churches of Torsåker, Boteå and Grundsunda in Ångermanland. The Europeanization of Norrland is discussed with reference to aspects such as religious transition and parish formation, monetarization and changes in household structure, trade specialization and administrative territorialization. Central places have played an important role in this process. Historiography illuminates how, and in which contexts, knowledge and understanding of history and medieval central places has developed and been communicated. This includes the use of place names and the oral narration of history, authorship and scientific research into local history. A number of primary school teachers, adult education college (‘folk high school’) teachers and priests were particularly important for the growth of local historical research around the turn of the 20th century. The use of cultural heritage is illustrated with a discussion of how the medieval cultural environments in Ångermanland and Medelpad have been interpreted and used in recent years. This includes aspects such as signposting, teaching and research activities, mass media attention, amateur history plays and similar performances, and the formation of various types of society. These three aspects of Norrland’s medieval period, together with the use of a cultural heritage perspective, form a broader holistic picture of the social role of scientific research and the cultural environment, where local interest in history is important for regional development.