Christer Westerdahl, born in Stockholm 1945, studied various disciplines of the Humanities there and other places and went on as freelance or as a museum curator to archaeological and ethnological fieldwork, mainly in Northern Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia.

He specialized in maritime archaeology and was called in as an Associate Professor of this subject at Copenhagen University, Denmark. His next academic appointment was at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. From here he retired from active lecturing in 2015 as a professor emeritus.

His main approach is the maritime cultural landscape which he launched as a strategy in the late 1980's. Among his book publications are: Samer nolaskogs. Örnsköldsvik 1986; Norrlandsleden I. Källor till det maritima kulturlandskapet. En handbok i marinarkeologisk inventering. The Norrland Sailing Route I. Sources of the maritime cultural landscape. A handbook of maritime archaeological survey. Arkiv för norrländsk hembygdsforskning XXIV. Härnösand 1987 and Norrlandsleden II. Beskrivning av det maritima kulturlandskapet. Rapport från en inventering i Norrland och norra Roslagen 1975-1980. The Norrland Sailing Route II. Description of the maritime cultural landscape. Report from a survey in Norrland and northern Roslagen, Sweden, in 1975-1980. Arkiv för norrländsk hembygdsforskning XXIII. Härnösand 1987