Agrarian History
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Agrarian history is a broad discipline examining people in the rural society, their social and economic conditions, and their relationship with nature, the landscape and wider society, as well as agricultural production and technological development.
The subject covers the history of these developments from ancient times to the present day. It is our belief that agrarian historical knowledge contributes significantly to what is understood about the landscapes and agriculture of today. As history enables analyses of long-term processes, it also contributes to knowledge of how people act within, and react to, societal transformations, something that is difficult to study in the shortterm contemporary perspective.
Research at the division combines theories and methods from both the humanities and natural sciences, and by studying Swedish and global contexts and sources to address general problems, it contributes to the international research agenda.
At present, three main research themes are at the center of the research agenda:
- Transhumance, commons and property rights;
- Climate adaptation in agriculture; and
- Agricultural growth, transformation and inequality.
Alongside this, several other topics are studied, such as garden history, medieval agriculture, and landscape and settlement history.
The division is also engaged in collaboration with the surrounding society. One example is the external consultancy for the County Administrative Board in terms of the cultural reserve of Linnés Hammarby outside Uppsala that has resulted in a long-term management plan for the reserve, and utilisation of the reserve for both teaching and research.