Gudrun Andersson

Gudrun Andersson is a Professor at the Department of History, Uppsala University. Her academic work focuses on early modern cultural history, with special emphasis on gender history, urban history, and consumption history. She has made significant contributions to understanding power dynamics in historical contexts through analysis of court records, material culture, and spatial arrangements.

Professor Andersson's research interests center on early modern Sweden (1650-1770), particularly examining how historical actors operated within social structures. Her work combines qualitative close readings of source material with analysis of non-written sources such as portraits, clothing, floor plans, and furnishings. She investigates how people argued before courts, furnished their homes, and competed for status positions in churches. Her current research explores the pre-history and emergence of Swedish consumer society, examining gender-specific consumption patterns and their relationship to social transformation.

Andersson's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output from the 1990s to the present. Her work shows a clear trajectory from gender history and legal studies toward material culture and consumption history. The publications reveal a strong focus on elite culture in early modern Sweden, particularly in the city of Arboga, while also engaging with broader European contexts through global trade goods and transnational gender norms. Her interdisciplinary approach combines historical methods with insights from gender studies, anthropology, and material culture studies.

Throughout her career, Professor Andersson has examined how historical actors used possessions and spatial arrangements to manifest status and power. Her research spans multiple dimensions of early modern life, from courtroom interactions to domestic consumption patterns, consistently highlighting the role of gender in shaping historical experiences and social structures.