Whales and Humans: Past Entanglements and Current Relations

On 22–23 June 2026, a two-day international conference will be held exploring the complex relationship between humans and whales throughout history. The conference will take place at Veröld – House of Vigdís and is open to all.

Scholars from around the world will present research on different regions and time periods. Topics include human–whale interactions in Iceland and Northern Europe, around the Iberian Peninsula, in the Pacific, and in Asia.

The conference keynote lecture is titled: “A Transdisciplinary Study of Whale Use in Iceland from Landnám through the Late Middle Ages: The Case of Hafnir”

The keynote speakers are:

Victoria Szabo, Professor of History, Western Carolina University

Lísabet Guðmundsdóttir, Postdoctoral Researcher, Archaeological Museum of Stavanger.

See further information about the keynote lecture here.

The conference is supported by:

• University of Iceland
• Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo & Arctic Challenge for Sustainability / ArCS III, which is the Japanese government’s flagship project for Arctic research
• University of Oregon

The program and further information is available on the conference website.

The conference is held in collaboration with the Whale Museum in Húsavík, and selected scholars from the conference at the University of Iceland will also give lectures at the annual Whale Congress in Húsavík on June 25. See further information here.