Iceland: Diverging Worlds, Emerging Identity

• Main Author: Boileau, Brandon Jacques
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Glendon Journal of International Studies 2017
• Subjects: Carrefour; Dorsale; La Crête; Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Iceland
• Online Access: https://gjis.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/gjis/article/view/40251

Abstract:The geological divergence of the North American and Eurasian plates creates a geological border known as the mid-Atlantic ridge. The continual diverging forces and intense volcanic activity of the sub-oceanic ridge have given birth to the landmass we know as Iceland. Symbolically, the geographical emergence of Iceland is a direct result of the distancing of both the old and new worlds. Iceland and its people rest at the crossroads of two very different societies, making it hard to share a sense of belonging with either continent, despite the unifying forces of globalization. Iceland’s unique history and geographical isolation have resulted in a weak sense of belonging with either the historically rich European or progressive North American continents, thus fostering a strong ethnic and nationalistic identity. In lieu, Iceland has formed and maintained its own unique identity with help of both continents, becoming a geographic and cultural halfway intersection between both. This strong cultural identity can be best observed at Pingvellir, a lieu de mémoire representing the history, struggle, and relentlessness of Iceland’s thirst for an identity of its own. The ensuing discussion outlines this thirst and how it paved the micronation's development of a strong national identity resistant of global cultural hybridization.Résumé :La divergence géologique des plaques de l’Amérique de Nord et de l’Eurasie crée une frontière géologique nommée dorsale médio-atlantique. Les forces qui divergent continuellement et l’activité volcanique intense de la crête sous-atlantique ont donné naissance à la masse continentale qui nous connaissons sous nom de l’Islande. Symboliquement, l’émergence géographique de l’Islande est le résultat direct de la distanciation à la fois de l’ancien et nouveau monde. L’Islande et son peuple reste au carrefour de deux sociétés très différentes, ce qui rend difficile un sentiment d’appartenance avec l’un ou l’autre continent, malgré les forces unificatrices de la mondialisation. L’histoire ...