Class, Crisis, and Capitalism in Iceland

Everyone is welcome to this open event where researchers from the University of Akureyri will discuss Owen Worth’s research on class, capitalism, and crisis in Iceland

This panel discussion will explore the recent work of Professor Owen Worth on the trajectories of Icelandic capitalism, explaining the boom-bust cycles of the economy and the role of dominant fractions of capital in Iceland’s shift from finance- to tourism-led accumulation regimes.

• The event will take place in room N201, in English
• A live-stream will also be available [link will come here]

Owen’s work, recently published in the book Nordic Neoliberalisms, argues that economic recovery following the Global Financial Crisis has been driven by a reorientation of dominant fractions of capital away from overseas and toward domestic investment. This, in turn, has contributed to a construction boom alongside asset and consumer price inflation. Owen argues that these dynamics further embed the neoliberal tendency toward boom and bust that has been prominent in recent Icelandic economic history—carrying important implications for potential economic and political crises in the future.

Researchers from the University of Akureyri will discuss Owen’s work and what present and future crises may mean for understanding class and society in Iceland, in relation to their own ongoing research. The discussion will focus on the effects of economic crisis and change on class and class identity, working-class women, and labour politics.

Professor Owen Worth is based in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Limerick. He has published widely on international political economy and hegemony, is the author of four books, and is Managing Editor of the journal Capital and Class.

Panelists from the University of Akureyri

• Dr. Adam Fishwick, Research Director and Visiting Professor, who will also moderate the discussion
• Dr. Berglind Hólm Ragnarsdóttir, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences
• Dr. Guðmundur Oddsson, Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences

All welcome!