A Place Apart An Anthropological Study of the Icelandic World

Readers will find here a rich and reflective representation of Iceland and Icelanders today. Kristen Hastrup not only draws on extensive first-hand research of Iceland, she also relies on her own theory of what anthropology is and should be in fully documenting this place and its people. In two previous books, Hastrup studied the processes and patterns that shaped Icelandic society from medieval times to the nineteenth century. In these pages, she updates this record by giving us a view of contemporary Iceland from within the landscape. Hastrup also traces key resonances from Icelandic history as encountered today. Many images of Icelandicness are examined, with an emphasis on how such images relate to local social experience. The book seeks to convey how the villagers of Iceland understand their world, to show readers the Icelandic viewpoint from the inside out, and to give a unique portrait of a unique country.