"Small States": a Theme in icelandic Political Science and Politics

Icelanders have developed the “small” theme in study and in debate as a lever for constructing their wished-for identity, and for advancing their interests abroad. After sketching the general background of small state studies in political science, this article aims principally to tell the story of why and how such studies have developed in Iceland. It will also give examples of how public figures used the discourse of smallness, both before and after the fateful crash of 2008. The closing reflections return to questions of the interaction between academic and political life, and to potential new themes or challenges facing small state specialists in future.