Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon | University of Iceland (original) (raw)
Books in English by Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon
Once we step beyond the traditional boundaries and standardized processes of scholarship into une... more Once we step beyond the traditional boundaries and standardized processes of scholarship into unexplored areas of “minor or local knowledge,” we come across material that sheds new light on institutional structures. This is where microhistory makes its greatest contribution to modern scholarship, by moving out beyond the conventional framework of historiography into areas where knowledge has flourished and made a difference.
In this book we study every-day writing practices among ordinary people in a poor rural society in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Our research material is the abundance of handwritten material produced, disseminated and consumed some centuries after the advent of print. Our focus is on its day-to-day usage and what we call minor knowledge, i.e. text matter originating and rooted primarily in the everyday life of the peasantry.
– aim to attract authors whose interests and source material concern either the medieval, early m... more – aim to attract authors whose interests and source material concern either the medieval, early modern or modern world. The target audience will comprise academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students. As higher education courses in History are increasingly taught over a wide chronological span, we aim to meet the demand for a more focused perspective than many current works allow. The book series Microhistories is first of all open to books employing different microhistorical approaches. Global microhistories aimed at grasping worldwide connections in local research, social history trying to find determining historical structures through a micro-analysis and cultural history in the form of microhistories that relate directly to large or small scale historical contexts are equally welcome. We will also publish interesting stories, bringing the everyday life and culture of common people of the past close to the readers, without the aspiration of finding answers to general " big questions " or relating them to the grand narratives of history. In other worlds, we plan to have the quality of the manuscript deciding its fate. The series is open to publishing both theoretical and empirical works. It is, indeed, often hard to separate the two, especially in microhistory. However, our main focus will be on empirical monographs which are likely to communicate stories from the past which will capture the imagination of our readers. The geographical scope of the series is global and so non-European works or those which cross territorial boundaries are welcome. Any scholar who wishes to contribute to the series will be asked to make sure that they address important issues that can be researched with the methods of microhistory. For more information about the series and the proposal process, please contact the series editors, Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon (sgm@hi.is) and István M. Szijártó (szijarto@elte.hu). The members of the editorial board are the following scholars:
Reaktion Books / University of Chicago Press, 2010
An Excerpt from the book (ch 10 and ch 17) is here available
Carnegie Mellon University – Ph.D. thesis, 1993
Books in Icelandic by Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon
![Research paper thumbnail of Fátækt og fúlga. Þurfalingarnir 1902. Sýnisbók íslenskrar alþýðumenningar 19. [Penury and Poor Relief. Pauperdom in 1902. Anthology from Icelandic Popular Culture 19 (Reykjavík: The Center for Microhistorical Research and the University of Iceland Press, 2016)]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/45954963/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](In this book we have sought to examine the lives of poor people from various perspectives. The pu... more In this book we have sought to examine the lives of poor people from various perspectives. The public discourse on the subject has been dis- cussed, and we have also become acquainted with the personal narratives of individuals who experienced poverty and hardship during their lives. This material draws on important autobiographical matter – egodocu- ments – written by Icelandic peasants in the nineteenth and early twenti- eth centuries. We have taken the innovative step of following up on such narratives by searching the inventories of household goods and chattels (uppskriftabækur) drawn up by district commissioners (sýslumenn), gener- ally in connection with the distribution of estates or when poor households were broken up as a result of public debts. These inventories typically go into minute detail, cataloguing anything found in the household of even the slightest monetary value, and thus provide an invaluable insight into the everyday material lives of people at the time. It is safe to say that this approach opened up an entirely new perspective on matters of poverty: it reveals the aggressive measures applied by the authorities (men who were themselves farmers) in collecting debts to the local authority; and also the material poverty with which Icelanders in general lived. It is safe to say that the Icelandic peasantry lived in penury.
![Research paper thumbnail of Heimkoma. Huganir í samtímanum [Homecoming: Essays on Current Affairs] – Only published in Academia.edu. – (2016)](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/42561087/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](This book is a collection of essays mostly published in Icelandic in the first decade of the 21st... more This book is a collection of essays mostly published in Icelandic in the first decade of the 21st century. Over the last years I have taken a lively interest in analyzing the operations of academic society through public and scholarly debate in a variety of ways. I have attempted to understand what it is about and the various means it employs to achieve its ends. In addition, I have taken active part in discussions within the university community over the last quarter of a century, first as a student, later as a fully-fledged historian. I have come to the view that as institutions of learning universities throughout the world are often fatally flawed and that academia is failing to provide the fertile ground for new thoughts and ideas that it ought to be.
Every scholar has at his command a certain amount of what might be called “cultural capital.” This can be applied in a variety of ways inside and outside the academic community. The debates that form a normal part of the work of all scholars can both eat into or add to the cultural capital he has at his disposal. In a sense one might say that every dispute between scholars – every debate that takes place outside or within the academic community – is built upon the struggle for the cultural capital of those who take part in it. The academic community formulates certain rules of play to regulate how these disputes are conducted. It tries to ensure a level playing field before they start and employs various means to ensure fairness. One, for example, is to arrange things so that there is always the opportunity for reply, that the person being criticized gets the chance to answer back. People who take part in heated disputes within the academic community do so with the aim of chipping away at or directly undermining the cultural capital of their opponents.
In this book one can find a debate between myself and one of my students, Hilma Gunnarsdóttir, which illustrates the importants of scholarly discussions. One has thought to bear in mind that there has been considerable uncertainty around the ideological status of written evidence as a result of the ideas of the poststructuralists on the status of texts about past times (sources), which have revolutionized people’s more traditional understanding of the past and the ways in which it can be approached. One thing, however, that can be said is that as soon as people start discussing each other’s work systematically in scholarly disputes it is hardly possible to expect that one of the parties involved will be able to raise himself above the attendant clashes and approach things with complete objectivity. I do take a strong stand on most of the issues I raise in this collection of essays, but I try to argue for my position in as positive manner as I best can, without going whistling past the graveyard! This book is only published on the internet, more precisely in academia.edu – february 2016.
![Research paper thumbnail of Bóndinn, spendýrin og fleiri undur alheimsins. Alfræðiverk fyrir alþýðu sem Jón Bjarnason frá Þórormstungu í Vatnsdal vann á árunum 1845–1852 [The Farmer, Mammals, and other Wonders of the Universe. An Encyclopedia for the Common People created by Jón Bjarnason 1845–1852]. – (2014)](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/47556834/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](The University of Iceland Press [Háskólaútgáfan], Nov 20, 2014
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2012
The Center for Microhistorical Research, 2007
The Center for Microhistorical Research, 2007
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2005
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2004
Center for Microhistorical Research /Reykjavik Museum of Photography, 2004
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2001
Bjartur / The Reykjavik Academy, 2000
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1998
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1997
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1997
This book is an experiment. The attempt is being made to write about a certain time period exclus... more This book is an experiment. The attempt is being made to write about a certain time period exclusively from the perspective of individuals and to try to shed some light on issues which have not been part of the traditional historical inquiry. At issue here is the fact that the Icelandic cultural heritage includes considerable quantity of personal documents in the form of autobiographies, diaries, and letters from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and the twentieth centuries, documents which have not, heretofore, been used for the purposes of historical scholarship. But it is not enough to identify the importance of these sources: the great challenge is to figure out how they can best be put to use in the analysis of these time periods. The book elaborates on how micro-historical methodology can direct this kind of research; but, more importantly, it explores the possibilities which micro-history gives us as historians for dealing with topics with which we have not dealt before. In this sense, the book is an experiment which will, hopefully, be continued in the future.
Once we step beyond the traditional boundaries and standardized processes of scholarship into une... more Once we step beyond the traditional boundaries and standardized processes of scholarship into unexplored areas of “minor or local knowledge,” we come across material that sheds new light on institutional structures. This is where microhistory makes its greatest contribution to modern scholarship, by moving out beyond the conventional framework of historiography into areas where knowledge has flourished and made a difference.
In this book we study every-day writing practices among ordinary people in a poor rural society in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Our research material is the abundance of handwritten material produced, disseminated and consumed some centuries after the advent of print. Our focus is on its day-to-day usage and what we call minor knowledge, i.e. text matter originating and rooted primarily in the everyday life of the peasantry.
– aim to attract authors whose interests and source material concern either the medieval, early m... more – aim to attract authors whose interests and source material concern either the medieval, early modern or modern world. The target audience will comprise academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students. As higher education courses in History are increasingly taught over a wide chronological span, we aim to meet the demand for a more focused perspective than many current works allow. The book series Microhistories is first of all open to books employing different microhistorical approaches. Global microhistories aimed at grasping worldwide connections in local research, social history trying to find determining historical structures through a micro-analysis and cultural history in the form of microhistories that relate directly to large or small scale historical contexts are equally welcome. We will also publish interesting stories, bringing the everyday life and culture of common people of the past close to the readers, without the aspiration of finding answers to general " big questions " or relating them to the grand narratives of history. In other worlds, we plan to have the quality of the manuscript deciding its fate. The series is open to publishing both theoretical and empirical works. It is, indeed, often hard to separate the two, especially in microhistory. However, our main focus will be on empirical monographs which are likely to communicate stories from the past which will capture the imagination of our readers. The geographical scope of the series is global and so non-European works or those which cross territorial boundaries are welcome. Any scholar who wishes to contribute to the series will be asked to make sure that they address important issues that can be researched with the methods of microhistory. For more information about the series and the proposal process, please contact the series editors, Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon (sgm@hi.is) and István M. Szijártó (szijarto@elte.hu). The members of the editorial board are the following scholars:
Reaktion Books / University of Chicago Press, 2010
An Excerpt from the book (ch 10 and ch 17) is here available
Carnegie Mellon University – Ph.D. thesis, 1993
In this book we have sought to examine the lives of poor people from various perspectives. The pu... more In this book we have sought to examine the lives of poor people from various perspectives. The public discourse on the subject has been dis- cussed, and we have also become acquainted with the personal narratives of individuals who experienced poverty and hardship during their lives. This material draws on important autobiographical matter – egodocu- ments – written by Icelandic peasants in the nineteenth and early twenti- eth centuries. We have taken the innovative step of following up on such narratives by searching the inventories of household goods and chattels (uppskriftabækur) drawn up by district commissioners (sýslumenn), gener- ally in connection with the distribution of estates or when poor households were broken up as a result of public debts. These inventories typically go into minute detail, cataloguing anything found in the household of even the slightest monetary value, and thus provide an invaluable insight into the everyday material lives of people at the time. It is safe to say that this approach opened up an entirely new perspective on matters of poverty: it reveals the aggressive measures applied by the authorities (men who were themselves farmers) in collecting debts to the local authority; and also the material poverty with which Icelanders in general lived. It is safe to say that the Icelandic peasantry lived in penury.
This book is a collection of essays mostly published in Icelandic in the first decade of the 21st... more This book is a collection of essays mostly published in Icelandic in the first decade of the 21st century. Over the last years I have taken a lively interest in analyzing the operations of academic society through public and scholarly debate in a variety of ways. I have attempted to understand what it is about and the various means it employs to achieve its ends. In addition, I have taken active part in discussions within the university community over the last quarter of a century, first as a student, later as a fully-fledged historian. I have come to the view that as institutions of learning universities throughout the world are often fatally flawed and that academia is failing to provide the fertile ground for new thoughts and ideas that it ought to be.
Every scholar has at his command a certain amount of what might be called “cultural capital.” This can be applied in a variety of ways inside and outside the academic community. The debates that form a normal part of the work of all scholars can both eat into or add to the cultural capital he has at his disposal. In a sense one might say that every dispute between scholars – every debate that takes place outside or within the academic community – is built upon the struggle for the cultural capital of those who take part in it. The academic community formulates certain rules of play to regulate how these disputes are conducted. It tries to ensure a level playing field before they start and employs various means to ensure fairness. One, for example, is to arrange things so that there is always the opportunity for reply, that the person being criticized gets the chance to answer back. People who take part in heated disputes within the academic community do so with the aim of chipping away at or directly undermining the cultural capital of their opponents.
In this book one can find a debate between myself and one of my students, Hilma Gunnarsdóttir, which illustrates the importants of scholarly discussions. One has thought to bear in mind that there has been considerable uncertainty around the ideological status of written evidence as a result of the ideas of the poststructuralists on the status of texts about past times (sources), which have revolutionized people’s more traditional understanding of the past and the ways in which it can be approached. One thing, however, that can be said is that as soon as people start discussing each other’s work systematically in scholarly disputes it is hardly possible to expect that one of the parties involved will be able to raise himself above the attendant clashes and approach things with complete objectivity. I do take a strong stand on most of the issues I raise in this collection of essays, but I try to argue for my position in as positive manner as I best can, without going whistling past the graveyard! This book is only published on the internet, more precisely in academia.edu – february 2016.
The University of Iceland Press [Háskólaútgáfan], Nov 20, 2014
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2012
The Center for Microhistorical Research, 2007
The Center for Microhistorical Research, 2007
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2005
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2004
Center for Microhistorical Research /Reykjavik Museum of Photography, 2004
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2001
Bjartur / The Reykjavik Academy, 2000
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1998
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1997
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1997
This book is an experiment. The attempt is being made to write about a certain time period exclus... more This book is an experiment. The attempt is being made to write about a certain time period exclusively from the perspective of individuals and to try to shed some light on issues which have not been part of the traditional historical inquiry. At issue here is the fact that the Icelandic cultural heritage includes considerable quantity of personal documents in the form of autobiographies, diaries, and letters from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and the twentieth centuries, documents which have not, heretofore, been used for the purposes of historical scholarship. But it is not enough to identify the importance of these sources: the great challenge is to figure out how they can best be put to use in the analysis of these time periods. The book elaborates on how micro-historical methodology can direct this kind of research; but, more importantly, it explores the possibilities which micro-history gives us as historians for dealing with topics with which we have not dealt before. In this sense, the book is an experiment which will, hopefully, be continued in the future.
Menningarsjóður / Sagnfræðistofnun Háskóla Íslands, 1985
Center for Microhistorical Research, 2006
Miðstöð einsögurannsókna (The Center for Microhistorical Research), Feb 2015
The Center for Microhistorical Research and the Reykjavik Academy, 2009
The Center for Microhistorical Research and the Reykjavik Academy, 2007
The Center for Microhistorical Research and the Reykjavik Academy, 2006
The intention in this article is to focus on a few major issues relating to the historiographical... more The intention in this article is to focus on a few major issues relating to the historiographical development of microhistory; geographical differences and variations in approach to microhistory within the microhistorical camp; the concept of microhistory as a ideological current; and finally the plan is to evaluate and contrast the old and the new way of doing microhistory. It will be argued that the official refusal of major players within the group of traditional microhistorians to accept the new ideology – postmodernism and poststructuralism – had the effect that microhistory, as a theoretical framework in history, became a stagnant phenomenon; it was poorly equipped to deal with new challenges in the humanities in the 21st century, like globalization.
In my previous work I have established a theoretical framework called ‘the Singularization of His... more In my previous work I have established a theoretical framework called ‘the Singularization of History’by criticizing the way social, cultural and microhistorians have practiced their scholarship in the last two or three decades. I have paid particular attention to one element common to the theoretical orientations of all microhistorians, viz. the connections between micro and macro. Microhistorians of all persuasions emphasize the importance of placing small units of research within larger contexts. I refute this principle and demonstrate its inherent contradictions. I encourage historians to cut the umbilical cord that ties them to what has been called ‘a great historical question’. The challenge of my paper will be to consider whether this research focus excludes the global perspective from historical inquiry. If that is not the case, what is the best possible approach to gain that vision?
Hans Renders, Binne de Haan and Jonne Harmsma eds., The Biographical Turn: Lives in History (New York: Routledge, 2016), p. 42–52.
One of the reasons why the biographical approach has gained increasing acceptance among historian... more One of the reasons why the biographical approach has gained increasing acceptance among historians is the emphasis placed by microhistorians on the individual as a historical phenomenon.
Hence this chapter shall address some fundamental aspects of microhistory, in order to explain why these two approaches – microhistory and biography (or more precisely the biographical approach) – have come together in recent years. The primary emphasis will be, however, on the methods of microhistory, since many new experiments within the genre of biography come from the microhistorical camp. The intention is to shed light on significant elements of microhistory which will reveal how these two approaches have been mutually beneficial.
The article deals with love and emotions in late nineteenth century Iceland, in par- ticular how ... more The article deals with love and emotions in late nineteenth century Iceland, in par- ticular how feelings were expressed in ego-documents. It argues that ego-documents are vital for exploring and understanding emotions and love in this period of time. The study is a microhistorical analysis of the interaction between material culture and emotions (love)—seen through the lenses of a few individuals who grew up in this poor Icelandic peasant society—and how it was expressed through the perspec- tives of young males. At the same time, the focus is on how their reactions affected both genders. The lack of women’s perspectives in these cases is discussed, as is the question of whether anything may be deduced about their emotional life from the impression described by the men. The interaction among work, grief, love, and ed- ucation is responsible for the fact that people in nineteenth century Icelandic farming society were universally literate. Their expressed emotions, such as love and also grief, were channeled through letter writing, diaries, poems, or other crea- tive thinking and had a major effect on the development of emotional release in the country.
The approach I call the 'singularization of history,' which I have been developing in recent year... more The approach I call the 'singularization of history,' which I have been developing in recent years within the methodological structure of microhistory, is the main subject of this article. It has the precise aim of defining the ways in which scholars can use sources to enter into the past in as detailed and varied a way as possible without becoming trapped within the received channels of the grand narratives. I will make an attempt to demonstrate what the Icelandic School of Microhistory (ISM) is all about and its connection to the scribal culture in the country, as well as the importance of ego- documents for microhistorical analysis. The central element in the analysis of this paper will be the sources themselves—their creation, their context within the events they describe, the opportunities they present for analysis, and in what kind of academic context they have become a subject for enquiry.
Cultural and Social History 12:1 (2015), pp. 77–94, Mar 1, 2015
Microhistorians of all persuasions emphasize the importance of placing small units of research wi... more Microhistorians of all persuasions emphasize the importance of placing small units of research within larger contexts. I have refuted this principle and made an attempt to show its inherent contradictoriness. I encourage historians to cut the umbilical cord that ties them to grand historical narratives through the use of a research model which I call the 'singularization of history'. In this article I show how the use of the traditional microhistorical methods blinded me in a research project. This blind spot in my research caused a major oversight in my findings – a shocking sequence of events was brought to my attention from an unexpected direction and revealed the weakness in my approach. The article deals with the need to rethink the whole concept of historical research and how the methods of microhistory can play a role there with the aid of what I call the 'textual environment'.
Journal of Social Archaeology, Jun 2014
Recently a fierce criticism has been aimed at social history and how it has been directed by vari... more Recently a fierce criticism has been aimed at social history and how it has been directed by various forms of grand narratives. Some microhistorians have lent this critique a voice from where a new theoretical framework, the singularization of history, has arisen. It rejects the notion that fragments of historical data can be put together into rational and coherent metanarratives but emphasizes the need for an inward focus on the material at hand and interpretations free from idealized perspectives on the past. Consequently, it involves scrutinizing the details of each event and object of research, looking for meaning within them rather than in larger contexts. In this paper, we intend to pose the question of if or how the idea of the singularization of history may apply to archaeology. Furthermore, we want to reflect upon the possibilities of a ‘singularized archaeology’ that regards the things at hand by honouring the nature of singularities, their relations and ontological constitution and how they reassemble into composite entities like practices, events or persons.
White Field, Black Seeds: Nordic Literacy Practices in the Long Nineteenth-Century. Matthew James Driscoll and Anna Kuismin eds. (Helsinki), pp. 53-62., 2013
The current paper focuses on what was undoubtedly one of the main influences on how people in Ice... more The current paper focuses on what was undoubtedly one of the main influences on how people in Iceland, and in particular those who chose to record their memories for posterity, viewed and interpreted their lives. In earlier studies I have argued that in the Icelandic autobiographies one can observe a certain sense of equilibrium or insouciance: the author may not actually have a great deal to say but he intends to tell his story nonetheless; the narrative follows the life course according to a fairly standardized pattern, taking on various shades and nuances from experience as in unfolds. So it seems natural to ask, What was it that made people who, perhaps, had spent almost their entire lives within a narrow compass of experience feel impelled to produce formal written records their memories? Later in this paper I shall suggest that the explanation is perhaps best found in deep-seated psychological longings among those who wrote their autobiographies, longings that manifested themselves also in these people’s attempts to broaden their education through informal channels, often under very difficult circumstances. It will also be argued that the autobiographists felt themselves in a sense driven to “textualize” their lives, to interpret them in terms of particular forms of narrative, and by such means to “recreate” them and “balance the books”, so to speak.
Scandinavian Journal of History, 2013
The article discusses the significance of the concept of gender for historical analysis, particul... more The article discusses the significance of the concept of gender for historical analysis, particularly on the basis of the importance of different types of ego-documents for the self-expression of the sexes. Attention is focused mainly on the status of the autobiography as a historical source, with some consideration of other types of life writing. It is shown how the form of this genre affects the sexes’ access to self-expression and how their differing ‘cultural space’ opens up opportunities for people’s self-creation. The development is viewed in an international light, both as regards ego-documents and history in general, and it is shown how sources of this kind and women’s perspectives are necessary preconditions for the humanities to be able to achieve an important reinterpretation of older historical arguments. Each can provide scholars with opportunities to investigate material that has previously defied their analysis.
Scandinavian Journal of History, 2011
Journal of Microhistory, 2008
Journal of Social History, 2006
Journal of Microhistory, 2006
Journal of Social History, 2003
Writing Peasants. Studies on Peasant Literacy in Early Modern Northern Europe , 2002
Mod nye historier. Rapporter til Det 24. Nordiske Historikermøde. Bind 3. Redigeret af Carsten Tage Nielsen, Dorthe Gert Simonsen og Lene Wul, 2001
Journal of Social History, 1995
The Journal of American History, 1989
Saga, 2010
Dómur sögunnar er aevinlega rangur! Háskólalíf og vísindapólitík á vorum dögum Þegar Smithsonian-... more Dómur sögunnar er aevinlega rangur! Háskólalíf og vísindapólitík á vorum dögum Þegar Smithsonian-safnið í Washington DC í Bandaríkjunum hóf að vinna að sýningu um endalok síðari heimsstyrjaldarinnar, þar sem einn af gripunum átti að vera B-29 sprengjuflugvélin Enola Gaysú er varpaði atómsprengjunni á Hírósíma -varð allt vitlaust í bandarísku þjóðlífi. Fyrirhuguð sýning vélarinnar varð tilefni gríðarlegra deilna í landinu, meðal annars á Bandaríkjaþingi. Hugmyndin var að reyna að fá fólk til að setja sig í spor þeirra sem voru á jörðinni þegar sprengjunni var kastað, fórnalambanna í styrjöldinni allri og einstaklinga sem urðu fyrir barðinu á gjöreyðingarvopninu. 1 Ráðandi meirihluti á Bandaríkjaþingi árið 1994 taldi hins vegar að verið vaeri að draga úr fraegð flughersins og dáð í styrjöldinni. Hér vaeri á ferð tilraun frjálslyndra afla til að grafa undan hernum og jafnvel samfélaginu öllu -því sem gaeti talist sérstakt við bandarískt þjóðlíf. Málalyktir urðu þaer að stjórnandi enola Gaysýningarinnar sagði af sér í mótmaelaskyni við utanaðkomandi öfl sem hugðust stjórna faglegri vinnu hans.
The Center for Microhistorical Research – Edited by Hilma Gunnarsdóttir, Jón Þór Pétursson and Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon: Frá endurskoðun til upplausnar. Tvær prófritgerðir, einn formáli, þrjú viðtöl, sjö fræðigreinar, fimm ljósmyndir, einn eftirmáli ..., 2006
The Center for Microhistorical Research , 2007
The Center for Microhistorical Methods, 2007
sem ritstýrði bók um franska félagsfraeðinginn Pierre Bour dieu ásamt honum sjálfum, laetur eftir... more sem ritstýrði bók um franska félagsfraeðinginn Pierre Bour dieu ásamt honum sjálfum, laetur eftirfarandi í ljós þegar hann raeðir verk Bourdieus í áhugaverðum inngangskafla:
Published by the University of Iceland Press in cooperation with The Center for Microhistorical Research , 2001
Einsagan – ólíkar leiðir. Átta ritgerðir og eitt myndlistarverk, 1997
Skírnir 176, pp. 371-400 , 2002
Skírnir 177, pp. 127-158, 2003
Íslenskir sagnfræðingar. Seinna bindi. Viðhorf og rannsóknir
Sagnfræðistofnun H.Í. og Sagnfræðingafélag Íslands, 1998
Orð og aeði -Minni og merking
Íslensk þjóðfélagsþróun 1880–1990. Ritgerðir., 1993
Grein sem fjallar um spádóma um valdatilfærslur í stjórnkerfinu vegna gjörða Ólafs Ragnars Grímss... more Grein sem fjallar um spádóma um valdatilfærslur í stjórnkerfinu vegna gjörða Ólafs Ragnars Grímssonar
Kistan 10.1.2006, Jan 10, 2006
Gagnrýni á Forseta Íslands, Ólaf Ragnar Grímsson, vegna útrásarlofræðunnar
Journal of Social History 2015; doi: 10.1093/jsh/shv070, Jul 26, 2015
Journal of Social History, 2012
Journal of Social History, 2006
Journal of Social History, 1997
Journal of Social History, 1990
Journal of Social History, 1988
Háskólaútgáfan , 2017
Vinnuhjú strjúka úr vist sinni vegna sultar og illrar meðferðar. Hjón skilja sökum ósamlyndis og ... more Vinnuhjú strjúka úr vist sinni vegna sultar og illrar meðferðar. Hjón skilja sökum ósamlyndis og framhjáhalds. Nágrannar kíta um jarðamörk og hvalreka. Jarðeigandi kallar leiguliða sinn ambátt og hlýtur svívirðingar fyrir. Þetta er meðal þess efnis sem finna má í sáttabók Miðfjarðarumdæmis frá árunum 1799–1865. Bókin veitir merkilega innsýn í líf og hagi alþýðufólks á Íslandi á nítjándu öld. Þar birtast leiðir almennings til þess að leysa úr ágreiningsmálum og um leið halda friðinn í nærumhverfi sínu án þess að leita á náðir dómstóla.
Ritröðin Sýnisbók íslenskrar alþýðumenningar fagnar um þessar mundir útgáfu sinnar 20. bókar. Fyr... more Ritröðin Sýnisbók íslenskrar alþýðumenningar fagnar um þessar mundir útgáfu sinnar 20. bókar. Fyrsta bókin, Bræður af Ströndum: Dagbækur, ástarbréf, almenn bréf, sjálfsævisaga, minnisbækur og samtíningur frá 19. öld, kom út í samantekt Sigurðar Gylfa Magnússonar árið 1997. Á þessu ári hafa tvær bækur komið út, það er bókin Fátækt og fúlga sem Jón Ólafur Ísberg og Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon unnu og bók Guðrúnar Ingólfsdóttur, Á hverju liggja ekki vorar göfugu kellíngar, en útgáfudagur hennar tengist sýningunni. Af þessu tilefni verður opnuð hinn 3. nóvember nk. sýning á Torginu í Þjóðminjusafni Íslands í samvinnu safnsins og ritstjóra Sýnisbókanna. Þar verða bókakápur ritraðarinnar sýndar en þær eru allar hannaðar af Öldu Lóu Leifsdóttur bókahönnuði.
Ritröðin er gefin er út á vegum Háskólaútgáfunnar og Miðstöðvar einsögurannsókna við Sagnfræðistofnun Háskóla Íslands, í samvinnu við Sögufélag, en ritstjórar hennar eru Davíð Ólafsson, Már Jónsson og Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon. Sverrir Sveinsson prentari hefur brotið um allar bækurnar og átt stóran þátt í að hana útlit þeirra og heildarsvip. Þá er sömuleiðis ástæða til að varpa ljósi á hið frábæra starfi Háskólaútgáfunnar undir forystu Jörundar Guðmundssonar, en án stuðnings hennar hefði aldrei orðið neitt af útgáfu þessara 20 bóka. Aðstandendur ritraðarinnar vilja nota tækifærið á þessum tímamótum bæði að fagna og vekja athygli á stórkostlegu framlagi þess fólks sem og höfunda bókanna sem margir hafa stigið sín fyrstu skref á ritvellinum á vettvangi Sýnisbókanna.
Frá fyrsta degi hafa Sýnisbækurnar verið þróaðar með ákveðna hugmyndafræði í huga: Í fyrsta lagi var hugmyndin að gefa lesendum kost á að komast í kynni við ótrúlega ríkulegan handritaarf frá síðari öldum sem varðveittur er í söfnum víða um land, en ef til vill fyrst og fremst í Handritasafni Landsbókasafns Íslands – Háskólasafns. Í öðru lagi hefur jafnan vakið fyrir ritstjórum að brúa bilið milli fræðanna og áhugamanna um sögu þjóðarinnar. Ritstjórarnir voru þeirrar skoðunar að dagbækur, bréf og sjálfsævisögur væru líklegar heimildir til að vinna hug og hjörtu lesenda og þá væri tilætluðum árangri náð. Auk persónulegra gagna af ýmsu tagi hefur ritröðin birt margvísleg opinber gögn en alltaf með skýrri tengingu við einstaklinga og þjóðfélagshópa sem voru viðfang þeirra í sínu daglega lífi. Í þriðja lagi hefur það verið frá upphafi markmið ritstjóra að búa til vettvang fyrir háskólanemendur sem sýnt höfðu mikinn áhuga á heimildunum og úrvinnslu þeirra. Sá draumur hefur sannarlega ræst því margir höfundar ritraðarinnar eru fyrrverandi nemendur okkar og samstarfsmenn. Í fjórða og síðasta lagi vildum við freista þess að gefa vísindamönnum í hug- og félagsvísindum kost á að kynnast innihald einkaskjala sem hafa aðallega verið birt í ritröðinni. Það hefur verið trú okkar að þessar heimildir sem oft eru flóknar og erfiðar í úrvinnslu geti opnað nýja sín á liðna tíð.
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2013
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2012
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2009
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2008
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2006
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2005
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2005
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2004
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2004
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2004
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2002
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 2001
Háskólaútgafan (The University of Iceland Press), 2000
Háskólaútgáfan (The University of Iceland Press), 1999
![Research paper thumbnail of “Life in Iceland: Nasty, brutish and short. An Icelandic social history.” The Economist 29. maí 2010 [Edward Lucas]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/32658909/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](The Economist , May 29, 2010
A video presentation about micro history and its methods
What is Microhistory? – Presentations in Moscow by Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon and István M. Szijárt... more What is Microhistory? – Presentations in Moscow by Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon and István M. Szijártó in April 2016
Once we step beyond the traditional boundaries and standardized processes of scholarship into une... more Once we step beyond the traditional boundaries and standardized processes of scholarship into unexplored areas of “minor or local knowledge,” we come across material that sheds new light on institutional structures. This is where microhistory makes its greatest contribution to modern scholarship, by moving out beyond the conventional framework of historiography into areas where knowledge has flourished and made a difference.
In this book we study every-day writing practices among ordinary people in a poor rural society in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Our research material is the abundance of handwritten material produced, disseminated and consumed some centuries after the advent of print. Our focus is on its day-to-day usage and what we call minor knowledge, i.e. text matter originating and rooted primarily in the everyday life of the peasantry.
Kynning á fræðaferlinum í stuttu máli; akademískar áherslur á liðnum árum.
Málþing um rannsóknir í söfnum á vegum Safnaráðs. Haldið hinn 6. nóvember 2014.
The University of Iceland Press, 2005
The Center for Microhistorical Research , 2007
The Center for Microhistorical Research, 2006
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Critical essays on Icelandic history and culture written by twenty authors