Gripla - 20.12.2009, Qupperneq 95

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Dynamics of Political expansion
taking up jóhann’s challenge to think more experimentally, this paper
describes some possible scholarly paths for civilizational theory. the paper
focuses on an important theme suggested by jóhann (Gunnar karlsson
2007, abstracts), concerning the “mechanisms of political expansion” dur­
ing the commonwealth period. Current historical scholarship provides a
solid foundation for analyzing political structures in Iceland from the time
of early settlement until the collapse of the commonwealth in 1262. Perhaps
the most comprehensive treatment is Gunnar karlsson’s Goðamenning
(2004), which Gunnar admirably summarized for the discussants at
Skálholt. Based on careful analysis of historical data and legal texts, Gunnar
has described a coherent system of political organization, one that famous­
ly lacked any true executive function. the most distinctive political role
within this system was that of the goði, a leader of sometimes charismatic
dimensions around whom public duties and power struggles seemed to
revolve. Gunnar has reconstructed the complex system of goðar, testing the
structural rules against what we know about historical realities across the
space of several centuries. His work seeks to establish the date when the
number of goðar became stable, and when presumably the system func­
tioned something like the model described in Grágás and in at least some
saga texts.
Gunnar’s emphasis on formal structures leaves room for further ques­
tions, however, since political practices were manifestly changing over the
course of four centuries. During the final century of the commonwealth, as
we know from reading Sturlunga, Iceland experienced a series of civil
struggles centered on family­dominated regions or domains (ríki). Gunnar
outlines this subsequent structure in his book, cataloguing the seven ríki
that were eventually whittled down to even smaller numbers, until the
system imploded in 1262–64. By formulating these two distinct formal
structures separated by time, Gunnar’s work points to the very questions
that hold special interest for civilizational theorists. these questions con­
cern the dynamics of development, beginning with how and why the sys­
tem of goðar underwent its particular shift. What forces guided the evolu­
tion and eclipse of the “goðamenning,” and what propelled the consolidation
(and then competition) of domains? Gunnar is fully aware that formal
CReAtInG At tHe MARGInS