Jobs and identity in an era of social change, prejudice and shame;crime and child protection; media use; politics and elections; defects in newly built apartment blocks; equality and backlash, and Iceland as a tourist destination are among the topics that will be discussed at the annual Þjóðarspegillinn Conference in Social Sciences, which takes place on 30 and 31 October at the University of Iceland. The conference is open to all, and admission is free.
This is the 26th time the conference is held. It brings together academics, students from the University of Iceland and other Icelandic universities, and collaborators from across Icelandic society to present the latest social science research that addresses societal issues in the broadest sense.
The conference begins with an opening seminar at noon on Thursday, 30 October, in the Ceremonial Hall of the University’s Main Building. Its title is “And what do you do?” Jobs and Identity in an Era of Social Change. The seminar will discuss what happens when the question, “What do you do for work?” no longer has a simple answer, and how people’s professional identity is shaped in this new reality.
Karan Sonpar, Professor at the University of Dublin, will deliver the opening address, followed by a panel discussion featuring Steinunn Bergmann, Chair of the Icelandic Association of Social Workers, Sif Einarsdóttir, Professor of Educational and Vocational Guidance at the UI, and Bala Kamallakharan, Founder and Managing Director of Iceland Venture Studio. Magnús Þór Torfason, Dean of the UI School of Social Sciences, will chair the discussions.
Several seminars will also take place on Thursday afternoon, but the main body of the conference will be on Friday, 31 October. A total of over 130 presentations will be given at the conference, covering subjects as diverse as crises and trauma; culture and creative industries; stock markets and health insurance; e-commerce and artificial intelligence; Roma people in Iceland; workplace well-being; labour struggles and the labour market; income distribution and economic mobility in Iceland, and queer representation in Star Trek.
The programme of seminars on Friday runs from 9 am to 4:15 pm (09–16:15), and you can read about the content, which session will be in English, and the conference in its entirety on its website.
The conference Book of Abstracts can also be found on the website.