Writing Local Cultures

  Iceland

Reykjavik

Term: Summer 
Dates: 4-12 July 2009

Description: Iceland is known for the medieval saga-literature, stories of heroes and kings, written in the period 1100-1400. The saga literature can be characterized as being stimulated by a settler-society, and among the cultural impulses behind it is a close relationship between worldly chieftains and the church, that introduced literary culture in Iceland.

What is less known is the literary culture of the following centuries. The medieval literature may be a main reason for an unusually high degree of literacy among common people and also the reason why literary, or manuscript culture flourished, especially after the conversion to Lutheranism in 1550. A peculiar characteristic of this culture is the prominent role of auto dictates, i.e. self-educated farmers and farmhands. From the 17th century and onwards, the old saga-literature was extensively copied and rewritten, but new genres arose and farmers wrote poetry, travelogues, autobiographies, historical works and ancient lore.

The printing press was more or less monopolized by the church until the late 18th century. The literary, scribal production among self-educated Icelandic farmers however flourished in the 19th century and remained in some cases until the early 20th century. Some of the literary production of those farmers is quite unique, in the sheer volume of the output, as well as the content.

A rather neglected feature of this scribal culture is the local aspect. A large amount of the literary activities was local, that is, personal and local history as well as local poetry.

The course will give a brief survey of the saga-literature, the theory of scribal studies will be discussed, but the main focus will be on the scribal and literary culture after 1550, especially local knowledge of the Bardardalur region, around Svartarkot. International comparison will be drawn and the local aspects will be analyzed in global context.

Highlights: A leading international scholar, Margaret Ezell, Professor at Texas A&M University will appear as guest lecturer. Among her works are: Writing Women's Literary History (1996) and Social Authorship and the Advent of Print (2003).

These courses at Svartarkot, which will be supervised by the Reykjavik Academy, have been devised so as to exploit the utmost experience of living in the place, the farm, the settlement and the wilderness, as well as showing both the dynamic connection between past and present and the integration of ecology with cultural studies. The Svartarkot courses will reconnect today's society to the environment, for instance allowing participants to fish in the lake, earn the catch and eat it.

A diverse range of teaching methods will be offered, combining lectures at the center, 2-3 day journeys in the central highlands, day trips to the local history museums and to the community archive at Husavik, as well as visits to spectacular waterfalls and geothermal areas. Other possible excursions and activities include whale-watching, hikes across the highlands, visits to farms and lectures on stories in the past and present at the sites of abandoned farms. Specific programs will emphasize material culture, folklore, craftsmanship, cuisine, horsemanship and anything else which emerges.

Degree Level: Doctorate Degree

Minimum Education: Bachelors

Cost in US$: 2,500

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Iceland Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Resume
• Transcript
• Written Application

Svartarkot: Culture and Nature's Mission Statement: The Svartarkot Centre is an institute being developed in rural Iceland and dedicated to research and providing higher education on the interaction between culture and nature. The place, straddling the border between the settled landscape and the wilderness, is an appropriate place for investigating this interaction. The approach is multi-disciplinary, incorporating cultural studies, literature, history, anthropology, sociology, folklore, geography, geology, ecology and the natural sciences. Svartarkot is a farm giving participants first-hand experience of life on the edge of human habitation. Courses involve a generous number of excursions and field trips, capitalizing on the intriguing cultural and natural environment. The emphasis is on summer programmes intended for graduates or undergraduates. Courses are supervised by the Reykjavik Academy.