2013/02/04 by Kristín Loftsdóttir · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #European Socioeconomic and Political Studies #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs #Migration, Refugees, and Integration
paper · doi:10.1177/1468796812472854
openalex publication_date 2013/02/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The Icelandic version of the book The Ten Little Negros was republished in the autumn of 2007 after its original publication in Iceland in 1922, creating multilayered debate about the meaning of race and racism in Iceland. In this paper, I stress that, within the European context, ‘whiteness’ has to be theorized as emerging from particular histories and realities, being entangled with other identifications such as national identity. I explore the debate surrounding the book, claiming that it reveals how Icelanders struggle to see themselves as innocent in relation to racism. I suggest that the constant references to the past in these dialogues seek to establish Icelandic innocence as a persistent and ongoing Icelandic characteristic.