Prohibition of Beer in Iceland: An International Test of Symbolic Politics

• Published in: Law & Society Review
• Main Authors: Gunnlaugsson, Helgi, Galliher, John F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1986
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3053579; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S002392160001848X

Beer has been prohibited in Iceland since 1915, but wine has been legally imported since 1922, as have all other alcoholic beverages since 1934. Since 1932, ten unsuccessful attempts have been made to repeal the beer prohibition. Using the records of parliamentary debates, newspaper reports, opinion poll results, and interviews, we examine the degree of fit between this legislation and Gusfield's model of linkage between status politics and symbolic legislation (Gusfield, 1955, 1963, 1967). We also identify the type of demographic and economic settings that appear to create an environment that encourages symbolic politics.