Research centre East

This research discusses climate issues in the East and Iceland in the last decades as they crystallised around specific topics.

Firstly, there is a debate for and against the largest hydroelectric power plant in Iceland, Kárahnjúkavirkjun, built in the first decade of the 20th century.

Secondly, there is the contemporary debate about wind power plants in the same part of the country. The discussion threads about climate issues and people’s attitudes towards them are followed, whether referring to local issues or the international debate on climate problems and global warming.

Thirdly, it will also consider recent years’ discussion about forestry as a solution to climate issues and the arguments that have been put forward against such resolutions.

All these issues, including the debate on hydropower, wind power, and forestry, are likely to have led to disputes where it has been difficult to reconcile opposing points of view. This has resulted in divisions in the local community and on a national level in Iceland.

Attitudes towards climate issues and the actions to solve them are thus far from being uncontroversial in Iceland, as is the case in other places in the world, as solutions to produce green energy and carbon sequestration tend to clash significantly with views and facts in the protection of ecosystems and natural landscapes.

Attitudes towards climate issues and different perspectives regarding the coexistence of man and nature are thus far from being in harmony in the East, as the profound disputes over hydropower plants in the region reflect.

More recently, there have been tensions for and against the proposed plans for wind farms in the highlands of East Iceland. The same development has been regarding the discussion about forestry, which is taking a new direction in the East, where companies buy up land and plant forests under the guise of carbon sequestration.

Opponents of all these plans have pointed out that no matter what arguments recommend these actions in the interest of working against the climate problem, they should weigh more heavily on inhibiting the extensive damage to the landscape and the ecosystem of the region that they entail. In this way, the talk will discuss a study of how climate issues do not contain simple aspects or solutions but are complex issues that need to be looked at from many angles, e.g. from the point of view of nature conservation in the local area. However, some arguments support the issue from the point of view of the international fight against the climate problem.

Measures against climate change are one of Man’s most essential tasks today. However, the question remains where and how to do it? Are all actions acceptable under the “green energy” banner? On what scale are we ready to sacrifice ecosystems and landscapes, arguing that it is in the interest of fighting climate change?

This topic is changing the natural and cultural landscape in East Iceland, but that is not all. It also causes a rift in the local community. 

This project involves research into the various aspects of the relationship between humans and the wilderness in East Iceland. For centuries, the uninhabited highlands of East Iceland have had both a genuine and imagined status as a remote, isolated world. There it is possible to learn about the history of natural forces and the fight for survival in the lowland communities, as well as the current value of the highlands' natural resources, conservation and nature tourism. The goal is to unite a range of interdisciplinary research on the topic.

The project involves recording and researching criminal cases in the legal records for the Suður- and Norður-Múlasýsla districts in the 19th century. Systematic features of criminal cases and their resolution will be recorded to enable future research into the types of crimes committed, the social position of guilty parties, divisions by sex, the most common punishments according to sentences, whether there was consistency in sentencing for crimes of the same or comparable type, and how these sources reflect people's struggle to survive.

It will also be possible to research how external pressures such as hard times or natural disasters affect crimes and their nature and whether and how penal law and its application changed during the period. Criminal cases and their resolution in the legal system are important sources that can shed light on social structure and the Zeitgeist, on people's lives and fates, and their social position based on class, status and sex. 

The aim is twofold. Firstly, to research the history of communities on the banks of Jökulsá á Dal and their relationship with this mighty glacial river, which often represented a significant obstacle, although Icelanders nevertheless found ways to cross the river.

Secondly, to create an archiving policy and record the ancient relics that lie along the course of the river. This will protect the archaeological remains and relics that can still be found on the banks from natural or human damage/destruction, as well as preventing knowledge from passing out of memory, as will happen if nothing is done. 

This project, situated within the field of environmental history, discusses the main features of animal conservation policy in Iceland, focusing on the origins and development of animal conservation ideas in the country during the 20th and 21st centuries. Specific threads in Iceland's history of animal conservation will be traced, with an emphasis on Icelanders' attitudes towards marine mammals, particularly whales and seals, in light of recent discussions about these species and policies regarding their hunting or protection over the past years and decades.

The main research questions are as follows:

• What attitudes have predominated longest, what has fundamentally changed, and how is a specific view of the relationship between humans and nature reflected in the stance on the hunting, or protection of, whales and seals along the shores of Iceland?

The approach is based on an environmental and ideological historical foundation, utilizing both primary and secondary sources, including written materials and various other media.

This theme has sparked significant controversy in Iceland, leading to social friction, and the research topic is currently highly relevant as a contribution to the general discourse in society, as well as being a  scientific contribution.  

The project involves gathering sources and analysing discourse on fish farming in the sea around Iceland, in the East and West Fjords. Emphasis is placed on identifying the main factors in the criticism and support of marine fish farming.

Sustainability and natural and environmental conservation will be kept in mind as key concepts to be highlighted. Still, consideration will also be given to the role that arguments about economic development, employment, regional development policy and use of resources have played in discussions on this industry and decisions that have been made.

The study will focus on the beginning of women's participation in the working-class struggle in East Iceland in the first half of the 20th century. When and how did women join the struggle in East Iceland? Did they work alongside the men in unions, or did they separate themselves from them, and if so, why? Did women have an influence within the labour movements at that time, and if so, how? Can specific highlights in women's rhetoric in labour union history be identified that distinguish them from the mainstream discourse of the labour struggle during this time, when men were dominant?

These questions and others will be answered to map the impact of women in the labour market in East Iceland during the research period. The study seeks to draw on international research for comparison and theoretical grounding. Research in other countries has shown that women encountered obstacles when they began to work with labour unions alongside men, as they expected solidarity but found none.

Studies also indicate that women sometimes took matters into their own hands, separating themselves from labour unions where men shaped all policies and founded their own movements. In some places, women from the middle class joined working class women in the history of women’s struggle movements in the early 20th century. How did this play out in East Iceland? Was the development of women’s participation in labour unions in East Iceland similar to those in other parts of the country are there specific aspects that mark East Iceland as distinct? 

A study of the history of the Fljótsdalshérað Travel Association and the Nature Conservation Association of East Iceland. 

Two small yet dynamic organizations have significantly influenced the relationship between humans and nature in East Iceland in areas such as environmental education, nature conservation, tourism in recreational life, outdoor activities, and more.

This study examines the history of these organizations and their impact on the aforementioned issues, exploring how their existence has bridged a gap that could be argued would not have been bridged without their involvement.

The research draws on foreign studies regarding the influence of organizations in fostering the connection between humans and nature.  Such a history has an over-a-century-long tradition within Western nature preservation but gained momentum here in Iceland around the 1970s, following an international awakening regarding nature conservation and environmental issues. 

This project involves mapping the population development in East Iceland from 1700 to 2020, aiming to shed light on fluctuations in that history, linking them to the most obvious explanations and exploring new ones where previous research does not fully explain all changes in population and demographic composition in the region.

The project primarily consists of gathering statistical data from primary sources currently accessible to illustrate the development of settlement in East Iceland over the past three centuries.

Understanding the historical development of population numbers and social changes, both past and present, is crucial in discussions on community development today. 

This project involves research into the history of human cohabitation with reindeer in Iceland, the history of the animals in Iceland, Icelandic attitudes towards reindeer, how these attitudes have shaped decisions and policy regarding reindeer in Iceland, and the impact this has had on the lives of these animals which were introduced to Iceland in the 18th century.

The project is a comprehensive history of ideas, looking at both reindeer themselves as well as Icelandic attitudes toward reindeer. It seeks to tell the stories of the reindeer's bitter struggle for survival in their habitat, the thrill of the hunt, and the varying success of experiments with reindeer farming.

Worldwide fame overnight - Stuðlagil and the impact of its popularity: In the summer of 2017, something remarkable happened in Efra-Jökuldal in East Iceland, as rental cars began to flood into the valley on a narrow gravel road that had previously seen little traffic. Suddenly, car after car arrived, heading to the area around two farms on either side of the Jökulsá River. Visitors spilled out of their vehicles and made their way to a canyon, which was promised to be uniquely beautiful.

The location had long been known among locals and recognized by many in East Iceland, but with its new-found fame, it acquired a new name, Stuðlagil, due to the unique columnar basalt cliffs found there.

This paper will examine theories and research on the impact on nature and society when natural phenomena suddenly become sought-after tourist destinations, and which aspects of this can be applied to the development of Efra-Jökuldal due to the popularity of Stuðlagil.