4. Att göra historia. En kritisk studie av historieämnet som kunskapsorganiserande system (2011)

Author: Pär Nyström. Doctoral dissertation.

How is history constructed? This dissertation centers on the bibliographic classification systems used by libraries to describe and organize documents within the field of history. Using the Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC) and the Swedish SAB system (SAB stands for Sveriges Allmänna Biblioteksförening – The Swedish General Library Association) as points of departure, a set of knowledge organization systems (KOS) within the subject of history are interpreted and analyzed.

The dissertation highlights that knowledge organization systems are not only practical tools within library work but also mediators of a worldview. That is, they reflect culturally conditioned notions and narratives, which are also reproduced through the use of these systems. These systems, used for bibliographic services, knowledge organization, and information retrieval, are thus viewed as meaning-bearing narratives that mirror the era in which they were created.

From a broader perspective, the dissertation addresses the conflict that arises between these bibliographic systems and a constantly changing world.