Since 1997 Swenson has conducted archaeological research in the Jequetepeque Valley on the North Coast of Peru, where he has been investigating pre-Inca religious landscapes. Swenson’s theoretical interests include the pre-industrial city, the rise of social inequality, the archaeology of ritual and ideology, violence and religion, materiality theory, place-making and ancient infrastructures, and the politics of spatial experience and social memory.
In terms of the ERC DHARMA project, Swenson has participated in excavations of the West Hospital of Jayavarman VII under the direction of Christophe Pottier and has collaborated with Chea Socheat, Dominique Soutif, and Julia Esteve on the Yasodharâsramas project (2014-2019).
