Edvard Westermarck's Archives inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register
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The fifth Finnish object inscribed on the Memory of the World Register.
The Westermarck Archives at the Åbo Akademi University Library in Turku, Finland have been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme for the preservation of documentary and written cultural heritage.
The award is a significant international recognition of Edvard Westermarck’s historical and scientific efforts, his contribution to anthropology and sociology both in Finland and globally. The Westermarck Archives are stored and managed by the Archive Collections at the Åbo Akademi University Library, and is the fifth Finnish object inscribed on the Memory of the World Register.
The Westermarck Archives, which are already inscribed on the UNESCO National Memory of the World Register, have been subjected to a thorough and well-prepared nomination process that took one and a half years. To be accepted, the collection must meet the UNESCO criteria for “outstanding universal value".
The inscription decision was made by the UNESCO International Committee for the Memory of the World Programme during their meeting in Paris on 2–16 April 2025.
International importance of Edvard Westermarck
Edvard Westermarck (1862–1939) was an outstanding scholar in an international research arena and crucial to the development of modern social anthropology and sociology. He served as Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1907–1930), Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Helsinki (1906–1918) and Professor of Philosophy at the newly established Åbo Akademi University in Turku (1918–1932).
Westermarck's most important work, The History of Human Marriage (1891), was based on comparisons of ethnological and historical material. This work, together with his research on moral development and his ethnographic field work in Morocco, has helped shape our understanding of human relations and cultural practices.
A prominent aspect of Westermarck's work is the unique and close relationship he had formed with the communities he studied in Morocco. His friendship with Moroccan Sidi Abdessalam el Bakkali, who was his research assistant and travel companion for decades, and his involvement in local cultures enabled him to collect detailed and authentic information.
Westermarck’s scientific network was extensive and globally significant. His correspondence with some of the world's most prominent scientists and intellectuals, such as Bronisław Malinowski and Hilma Granqvist, is preserved in the archives and provides insights into academic development during his time.
Unique insights into local cultures and scientific discussion at the turn of the twentieth century
The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, notes and unique image material in the form of photographs from Westermarck’s field studies and travels. The material documents the advent and development of anthropology and sociology as disciplines. It provides us with insights into the academic networks, early ethnographic field work and scientific and social debates of his time.
Westermarck's ethnographic and photographic material on everyday life in Morocco is exceptional. It provides insight into the living conditions and religious and magical concepts of a multicultural country that fought against colonial influences.
Unlike other contemporary anthropologists, Westermarck learned local languages so that he would be able to speak directly to his informants without the aid of interpreters, and the documentation in the archives on the pronunciation of Arabic and Amazigh (Berber) language shilha a hundred years ago is also unique.
The Westermarck Archives contain material that highlights the state of the world and schools of thought such as Darwinism, at the turn of the twentieth century.
Westermarck's modern ideas in social discourse
In Europe, Westermarck was a social and cultural critic. He was one of the first scientists to hold a modern scientific view of homosexuality, which he argued was a natural and biologically based tendency. Westermarck advocated its legalisation at a time when homosexual activity was illegal in many countries.
Westermarck served as the vice chair of British feminist organisations and his archives contain correspondence with women’s rights activists in Europe and the United States. He also stressed the importance of working with female informants in anthropological research.
His work provided insights into the living conditions of women, particularly in Morocco, and his mentoring helped scientists such as Hilma Granqvist do groundbreaking field work. Westermarck’s contacts with female researchers at the London School of Economics highlight the gender-based challenges they faced in their academic careers.
The application to the Memory of the World Register was supported by the Gösta Branders Research Fund at the Åbo Akademi University Foundation.
Enquiries
Archive Collections are publicly available. Please contact via email. However, the Collections are temporarily closed due to renovation (1 March–30 September 2025).
Some of the Edvard Westermarck archives are available online in a digitised format.
The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) has an ongoing project for further digitisation of Edvard Westermarck material. The SLS website westermarck.sls.fi will be launched in November 2025.