This paper examines how established historiography changes when new categories of sources are introduced. Our point of departure is Swedish historiography on the 1958 reform enabling women’s ordination in the Church of Sweden. Several competing historical narratives frame this reform either as a theological breakthrough, a political compromise, or an institutional crisis. These accounts rely almost exclusively on official documents, such as parliamentary and synod protocols, and on writings by prominent (male) theologians and church leaders.
By introducing a previously unused body of sources – the narratives of the first ordained women themselves – we show how the established historical narratives are complemented and complicated, revealing new insights into a crucial societal and ecclesiastical reform which not only calls for a revised understanding of the past but also reshapes how the future of the church can be imagined.