Academic interests
Folk religion, cultural contacts, culture of borders, farmers culture, coastal culture, rituals around life cycle, symbols of gravestones, alcohol and temperance movements, folk life painting, field work, history of medicine, history of tourism.
Background
- Master of Theology in Lund 1964, Philosophy Master in Lund 1965, Philosophy Licentiate in Lund 1969, Doctor of Philosophy in Lund 1972, Associate professor in ethnology in Lund
- 1973, Head of the Center for Religious Ethnological Research in Lund 1980, Professor of ethnology in Uppsala 1987, Professor of ethnology in Oslo 1997.
Prices
- 1974 Scientific award from the Royal Gustav Adolph Academy for the thesis Kyrktagningsseden i Sverige, 1972
- 2005 Scientific award from the Royal Gustav Adolph Academy with the motivation: ”for his versatile, scientifically sound and rich production within the fields of ethnology, cultural history and religious ethnology
- 2013 Orust municipality´s cultural award
Commissions
- Senior member of the Royal Gustav Adolph Academy
- Pro-rector of Stromstad Academy. Institute of Advanced Studies
- Editor of the series Acta Academiae Stromstadiensis within Stromstad Academy
- Member of the Royal Humanist Science Society, University of Uppsala
- Senior member of the Science Society, University of Lund
- Committee member of the international Belief Narrative Network, BNN
Ongoing Research
- Member of a multidiciplinary project ”Health and Environment”
- Member of an interdisciplinary ”Nordic Network for Tourism History”
- Member of a multidisciplinary ”Nordic Network of Thanatology” that examines rituals and notions of death in ancient times and in our days.
- Member of the project ”Tombs as a Cultural Heritage”
- The project ”Cultural Meetings at the National border” studies cultural meetings in the border area between Norway and Sweden.
- The project ”Alcohol and Temeperance” studies the role of alcohol in public life based on the three concepts: moderation, abuse and total abstinence.
Co-operation
- International Society for Folk Narrative Research ISFNR, section for Belief Narrative Network
- Society International for Ethnology and Folklore SIEF, commissions for Folk Religion and Ritual Year
- Nordic Network of Thanathology
- NORDVECK, A Network of Scandinavian Researchers and Research on Revivals and
- Revival Culture
- International Society for Cultural History, ISCH
- The Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and translators association
- Who´s Who in the World
- Nordic Network for Tourism History