Iceland in the World, the World in Iceland

Iceland, in both past and present, has been characterised by transnationalism – just like other countries in the world. Iceland has thus been a part of the mobility of people and ideas through the centuries. It is important to highlight this in the present, when current discourse is often based on the idea that in the past different parts of the world existed in isolation from each other. Prejudices are nothing new in Icelandic society, as for centuries Icelanders' ideas have been influenced by global conceptions of race.

In November 2016 the exhibition Iceland in the world, the world in Iceland was opened in the Arc Hall of the National Museum. The exhibition is based on research by anthropologists Kristín Loftsdóttir and Unnur Dís Skaptadóttir and their students at the University of Iceland. The exhibition shows that Iceland, in both past and present, has been characterized by transnationalism – just like other countries in the world. Iceland has thus been the platform for people's mobility and ideas over centuries.