The department of Engineering Sciences Uses and Issues – The case of Visby Cathedral An analysis of values and frictions associated with usage at a venue that is both cultural heritage and an active religious institution Author: Walter Duphorn Master thesis in sustainable destination development 15 hp Uppsala University/Campus Gotland Spring Semester 2019 Supervisors: Owe Ronström and Camilla Asplund Ingemark Abstract Duphorn, W. 2019. Uses and Issues – The case of Visby Cathedral. An analysis of values and frictions associated with usage at a venue that is both cultural heritage and an active religious institution. This thesis is a case study of Visby Cathedral, cultural heritage with a rich history that has been an active site of worship since medieval times. This has resulted in an interest in the cathedral as a tourist destination which has increased exponentially since the city became a world heritage. The main aim of this thesis was to see how the heritagization of the cathedral affects it through the public uses that take place within the cathedral to see which values are promoted. Following this the frictions that are caused by the uses was studied to garner a better understanding of how the identity of the cathedral was impacted on both internal and external levels. My hypothesis going in was that much of the identifiable frictions were caused by the difference between the religious and cultural identity of the cathedral. In the analysis four use-categories with separate key functions: Religious, Art & Music, Political and Tourism. While all usages did not cause friction, all categories did to varying degrees of severity. The religious use still appears to be the core influencing factor since the recent incorporation of the overriding values of inclusion of acceptance originated within these uses which inspire all categories of use. Much of the experienced friction appears to be the result of push-back to these values. This could indicate that to a clash between modern cultural ideas and traditional Christian perspectives are at the core of the issues as the hypothesis suggested but the different nature and number of identifiable values and frictions at play suggests that while this is likely a factor, it is not the only one. Acknowledgements Many people helped me develop my original notion to the thesis you see before you now. Firstly, my supervisors, Owe Ronström who helped me find much of the literature I used in the construction of my theoretical approach and Camilla Asplund Ingemark whose aid in structuring the thesis has proven invaluable. Secondly, my course comrades Kath Uziallo and Min Yu with whom I have discussed many of the notions that found their way into the final paper during weekly meetings. Camilla Asplund Ingemark (again) and Carina Johansson deserve acknowledgement for organizing these and for the advice they offered. Thirdly, I wish to extend thanks to Patrik Choufani and Lorne Philpot, my teammates in the tourism-related project which inspired this thesis and with whom one interview was conducted. Also, to Sabine Gebert Persson who agreed to meet me on short notice and provided invaluable insight into the intensity of the cruise tourism visitation to the cathedral. Last, but in no way least, the two interviewees who gave their time and were invaluable in the generation of much of the material I have used in this analysis, Maria Norderbrim and Mats Hermansson. I greatly appreciate the time you lent me and hope this thesis will prove of some use to you. Without all of you this thesis would not exist. Thank you! TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Statement of purpose ................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 Research questions ............................................................................................... 2 1.2 History of research ....................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Visby athedral and its cultural setting .................................................................. 3 1.2.2 The place for churches and Christianity in modern Sweden ................................ 4 1.2.3 Religious heritage and touristic appeal ................................................................ 6 1.3 Theory .......................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 Theoretical background ............................................................................................... 9 1.4.1 My theoretical approach ..................................................................................... 13 1.5 Material and Method ................................................................................................. 14 1.5.1 Hypothesis and clarification of terminology ...................................................... 14 1.5.2 Interviews (and a conversation) ......................................................................... 15 1.5.3 Observation ........................................................................................................ 16 1.5.4 Internet & written sources .................................................................................. 17 2 ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 18 2.1 Usages and users ........................................................................................................ 18 2.1.1 Religious activities ............................................................................................. 18 2.1.2 Art and music ..................................................................................................... 21 2.1.3 Political platform ................................................................................................ 23 2.1.4 Visby Cathedral: Tourist destination .................................................................. 24 2.2 Values and friction ..................................................................................................... 28 2.2.1 Identifying the values of the usages ................................................................... 28 2.2.2 “Unsuitable art” .................................................................................................. 32 2.2.3 Political opposition ............................................................................................. 33 2.2.4 Culturally tinged tourist view? ........................................................................... 34 2.2.5 Theoretical analysis ............................................................................................ 38 3 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................. 42 4 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 45 4.1 Unpublished sources .................................................................................................. 45 4.1.1 Interviews ........................................................................................................... 45 4.1.2 Participant observations ..................................................................................... 45 4.2 Published Sources ...................................................................................................... 45 4.2.1 Online sources .................................................................................................... 49 1. INTRODUCTION I am not a religious man! This may be an odd sentence to start this thesis with, but I felt that it was appropriate to be clear with my perspective from the get-go. Faith is not something that has ever been a part of my life and while I have attempted to wrap my head around the prospect of adopting a belief in a higher power, so far it has not happened. I have always felt more comfortable basing my conclusions or discussions on provable facts, this combined with my interest in exploration, research and the past led me to study archaeology. In recent years however, I have developed an increasing interest in the notion of culture within society as a structure of norms which alter and is altered by the social behaviour of those who exist within it. Currently I live on Gotland and I have for the better part of the past six years as a part of my schooling. For this entire time, I have been aware of Visby Cathedral, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, one of the top tourist attractions in the city. At one point I lived less than 100 meters away from it. But I never entered, first when a school trip took me there did. I entertain the notion of going inside the cathedral. That made me curious about why I had thought like this and about the cathedral itself. Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time at the cathedral as a part of a school project where my team was asked to help the church with some issues. Interest in the cathedral as a tourist destination has intensified in recent years, which has resulted in an increased number of visitors during the intense summer season. As a result of this, the value of the cathedral as a cultural heritage has received increased attention in recent times. In other cases, when institutions with a clear religious