Margareta Åman’s history thesis entitled Spanska sjukan: den svenska epidemin 1918–1920 och dess internationella bakgrund (Spanish influenza: the Swedish epidemic, 1918-1920, and its international background) was published in the series Studie Historica, a publication series in Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis (AUU), the University’s research publications. AUU is managed by the University Library and they have noted a dramatic increase in interest in the thesis over the past year.
“When the coronavirus pandemic started to gather speed during the spring of 2020, the subject was suddenly highly topical and the thesis became a best seller in the online shop,” says Mattias Bolkéus Blom, Coordinator of the University Library. When Margareta Åman published her thesis nearly 30 years ago, it was the first major study to problematise the development, scope and consequence of the epidemic while also analysing the actions of the authorities as it ran its course in Sweden.
At the time of writing, hard copies of the thesis have almost sold out. Consequently, the University Library has been granted permission to digitise the thesis.
“Margareta Åman sadly passed away in 2020, however, thanks to the benevolence of her family, her thesis on the Spanish flu is now available to download free of charge from Uppsala University’s digital publications archive.