Icelandic nationalism
Encyclopedia
Þjóðernishyggja is the Iceland
ic term for nationalism
; nationmindedness is a rough translation of the term. Its use was instrumental in the Icelandic movement for independence from Denmark
, led by independence hero Jón Sigurðsson
.
Þjóðernishyggja is now commonly used for patriotism
in Icelandic interchangeable with another word: Föðurlandsást, i. e. Love of one's country. There is little difference between the two in Icelandic, and most Icelanders would probably count themselves as being some sort of patriots.
Icelandic Nationalism or Þjóðernishyggja or Föðurlandsást is based upon the idea of resurrection of the Icelandic Free State
, and its values (or what was believed to be its values): democracy, freedom of the individual, the need for the country to be independent, and respect for the cultural and religious traditions, specially the long preserved language. Icelanders see their current republic to be the reincarnation of the old Free state, and thus is Icelandic Nationalism today based upon preserving what was gained by the independence movement. Thus Icelandic nationalist sentiment, having some aspects of civic nationalism
, is highly respectful of democratic parliamentary powers (see resurrected Althing
) and skeptical of foreign control over Iceland, which is partly responsible for the fact there is little will in Iceland for joining the EU.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic term for nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
; nationmindedness is a rough translation of the term. Its use was instrumental in the Icelandic movement for independence from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, led by independence hero Jón Sigurðsson
Jón Sigurðsson
Jón Sigurðsson was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement.Born at Hrafnseyri, near Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords area of Iceland, he was the son of a pastor, Sigurður Jónsson. He moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1833 to study grammar and history at the university there...
.
Þjóðernishyggja is now commonly used for patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
in Icelandic interchangeable with another word: Föðurlandsást, i. e. Love of one's country. There is little difference between the two in Icelandic, and most Icelanders would probably count themselves as being some sort of patriots.
Icelandic Nationalism or Þjóðernishyggja or Föðurlandsást is based upon the idea of resurrection of the Icelandic Free State
Icelandic Commonwealth
The Icelandic Commonwealth, Icelandic Free State, or Republic of Iceland was the state existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king in 1262...
, and its values (or what was believed to be its values): democracy, freedom of the individual, the need for the country to be independent, and respect for the cultural and religious traditions, specially the long preserved language. Icelanders see their current republic to be the reincarnation of the old Free state, and thus is Icelandic Nationalism today based upon preserving what was gained by the independence movement. Thus Icelandic nationalist sentiment, having some aspects of civic nationalism
Civic nationalism
Liberal Nationalism is a kind of nationalism identified by political philosophers who believe in a non-xenophobic form of nationalism compatible with liberal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, and individual rights. Ernest Renan and John Stuart Mill are often thought to be early liberal...
, is highly respectful of democratic parliamentary powers (see resurrected Althing
Althing
The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...
) and skeptical of foreign control over Iceland, which is partly responsible for the fact there is little will in Iceland for joining the EU.