Iceland review - 2019, Side 48

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Iceland Review
Meet some of Iceland’s
finest designers
Epal Harpa / Epal Skeifan 6 / Epal Design Kringlan / Epal Icelandic Design Laugavegi 70
www.epal.is
history and culture. Knowing Icelandic is the key to
communication and society, but functions foremost as
a symbol of national unification.
Previously the Icelandic state sought to
“Icelandify” foreigners who chose to remain and
pursue citizenship, even to the extent of legally
compelling so-called “new Icelanders” to take
Icelandic names. The justification for such draconian
measures is understandable if regrettable; the
quicker foreigners would learn Icelandic language and
culture, the easier it would be for them to get decent
jobs and participate in society. But having one’s
name ignominiously removed and replaced with an
unfamiliar and difficult to pronounce one was often
as traumatising as it was absurd. Some deliberately
chose ridiculous-sounding Icelandic names merely to
make the point that being a good Icelander should be
about more than having a traditional Icelandic name.
Eventually acceding to building pressure, the Icelandic
state adjusted its approach toward foreigners seeking
to establish themselves in Iceland.
Sociological research shows that maintaining
migrant children’s connection to their native tongue
and culture is vital to their psychological and
intellectual development; failing to do so can have
grave consequences. For adults it is often the same
story; abandoning one’s linguistic and cultural roots
can be as self-destructive as losing one’s identity.
Many schools now provide bilingual instruction in
numerous languages. The current thinking goes that
it’s okay to keep one’s name and continue to speak
one’s native language at home, as long as individuals
make a concerted effort to learn Icelandic and can
thus fully take part in society as social equals with
native Icelanders.
Projections of future migration patterns strongly
suggest that Iceland will continue to attract
desperate people fleeing
insecurity and instability as
well as opportunity-seeking
economic migrants. As a social
democratic society that prides
itself on progressive values, inviting and looking after
refugees and accepting economic migrants is an
article of faith for Icelanders. Teaching new residents
Icelandic language and culture is an enormous
challenge, but with tangible rewards not just for
migrants, but for Iceland as a nation. In the past,
migrants to Iceland have found better opportunities
for themselves and contributed to the country. In
the future, they will likely be integral to Iceland’s
economic well-being, and the key to the Icelandic
language’s very survival.
BETWEEN 1956 AND 2012, ICELAND
GRANTED A TOTAL OF 525 REFUGEES
WITH ASYLUM STATUS.