Collecting a pandemic : A qualitative interview study on contemporary collecting in Swedish museums of everyday life during the coronavirus pandemic

This thesis focuses on eight Swedish museums, who collected intangible and tangible memories of how everyday life was affected during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020-2021. These contemporary collecting projects were conducted by Eskilstuna stadsmuseum, Jönköpings läns museum, Klostret i Ystad, Nordiska museet, Skellefteå museum, Stockholms läns museum, Värmlands museum and Västerbottens museum. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews with the museum professionals responsible for the collecting process, the aim was to collect data on how the projects were organised and which collecting methods that were used. Further, the aim was to discuss and analyse the contemporary collecting projects from the theoretical perspectives of cultural memory studies and participatory memory practices. The results of the study show that the museums started the collecting projects in haste when the pandemic broke out and that the main collecting method being used was questionnaires. Other collecting methods, such as interviews, field studies and collecting of photographs, diaries, social media posts and tangible objects, were used as a complement. The museum’s purpose was to reach out as wide as possible with the collecting projects, to collect memories from different social groups in society. In conclusion, the collected materials, the intangible and tangible memories collected from participating individuals, will together take place in cultural memory side by side with documentations of historical events and be of use for future generations. Memories were collected all over Sweden, from people of different age and gender. The projects would not have been possible to conduct without the voluntary participation of people sharing their memories of how everyday life was affected during the coronavirus pandemic. This is a two years master’s thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies