We are pleased to invite you to our our sixth online MEPOST seminar “Industrial and Medieval: Heritage and Contested Identity in Upper Telemark, Norway”, which this time takes us somewhere rather unexpected! Our guest speaker Dr Karl Christian Alvestad (University of South-Eastern Norway) will explore how industrial and medieval heritage coexist — and sometimes compete — in Upper Telemark, and what this means for local identity today.
The seminar will be held on 26 May at 9:30 am (CET) via Zoom and is open to wide public. 
Link for registration: https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/…/regi…/0_7Lu8hDTwmBpfZaLLqOWg. You will be directed to the waiting room and we will accept you once the speaker is ready.
Please find the seminar description and the speaker’s biography below. 
We have also included the poster of the event.
Industrial and Medieval: Heritage and Contested Identity in Upper Telemark, Norway
#6 MEPOST seminar description:
In 2015, the former industrial towns of Rjukan and Notodden, along with the extensive infrastructure of industrialisation and the immaterial culture of the workers, were granted UNESCO World Heritage Status as «an example of a new global industry in the early 20th century» (UNESCO.ORG, N.D.). The UNESCO designation is a constant presence in the landscape of three municipalities in Upper Telemark — visible in its buildings and the traces of human activity left across the natural environment — and serves as an ongoing reminder of the region’s industrial past. Yet not all inhabitants have embraced this status or the heritage it celebrates.
Alongside the industrial heritage, the area hosts a vibrant folk tradition and is home to the world’s largest surviving stave church, the Heddal Stave Church. This seminar explores the relationship between industrial and medieval/premodern heritage in Upper Telemark, considering how local stakeholders and communities engage with heritage and memory in constructing their contemporary identity. It further examines the role of education in shaping, preserving, and contesting heritage and identity within and between communities in the region.
Short biography 
Dr Karl Christian Alvestad is an Associate Professor in Social Studies at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where he teaches history and social studies at the Notodden Campus. He has worked extensively on the use of the middle ages and vikings in post-medieval Norway, and the role of historical culture and heritage in contemporary Norwegian society and education.