Gripla - 20.12.2009, Síða 103

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found in vilhjálmur’s contribution to this current symposium (here, 217–
240).
Civilization as self­reflection: the importance of sagas
Early Iceland was a society in transition, filled with conflicting tensions
and dynamic forces. But where was it all coming from, and where was it
going? So far I have used the civilizational perspective as a methodological
guide, but have withheld specific historical labels. Was the Icelandic com­
monwealth late pagan? Early Christian? Some combination of the two?
these are very broad categories created retrospectively by modern schol­
ars, and subject to styles of scholarly consensus. It is certainly possible to
explicate sagas as a competition of world views, but it is more useful to
look for qualities of self­reflection in the elusive forms of narrative practice
(Sigurður Nordal 1942). If we want to find deeper undercurrents and sub­
tle dynamics that have eluded both the social scientist and the moralist, we
must pursue this conjunction of narration and representation (vésteinn
ólason 1998, 191–205).
This direction seems entirely consistent with the aims of civilizational
theorists. Sociologist S.n. eisenstadt finds the core interest in civilizations
in the specific reflective capacities of “transitional” societies (2006). for
eisenstadt the “civilizational turn” looks to the emergence of transcending
ideas, symbols, utopias, technologies and alternative realities, held up
against a background of prior stability. this notion of transcendence marks
a culture that encompasses a plurality of standpoints, where mere realities
are continually contrasted with alternative possibilities. According to
Eisenstadt, societies where pluralistic conceptions are integral to the cul­
ture are dynamic in ways that contrast sharply with static empires, frozen
in their monotonic cultural landscapes. the dynamic civilization displays
epistemological complexities, generating fruitful and fractious tensions,
while serving also as an engine of development for law, politics, morality,
and cultural expression. (Long before eisenstadt, the philosopher Hegel
[1993–95] described civilizations as dynamic by virtue of such divided
visions.) According to eisenstadt, the notable civilizations of the “axial age”
were the loci of profound theological insights, including the bifurcated
vision of the early Christian culture with its dichotomous realms of God
CReAtInG At tHe MARGInS