What values does a state notable building express when it not only represents prosperity values but also carries burdensome memories from people's lives? In what ways does the preservation of a former madhouse/mental hospital affect our understanding of the field of mental illness? This essay intends to research a former mental hospital, located in the city of Vadstena in Sweden, which today operates as a hospital museum. In this study the old mental hospital has been defined as a difficult cultural heritage. Through an architectural analysis of the building together with literature studies from previous work within cultural heritage the study aims to understand how the site today contributes and affects our understanding of mental illness and care. By examining our past from a distinctive perspective the study shows how Vadstena Hospital Museum today plays a significant role in how the psychiatric historical representation is treated and experienced today. Through difficult and complex cultural heritage humans' less desirable actions and events have the opportunity to be seen, heard, felt and discussed from a different perspective.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-448825 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Holmström, Josefin |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Konstvetenskapliga institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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