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The Society was founded in
1968 in Edinburgh by a group of people with a shared interest in the
links between Scotland and its northern neighbours.
Initially intended to be
a Scottish offshoot of the London-based Viking Society, it quickly
developed a broader agenda, encompassing a wider range of interests.
This multidisciplinary approach has been one of the main features of the
Society’s activities.
Its first president was Steward Philip Oakley (1968-1969) and, since
then, a number of prominent academics from a variety of disciplines have
held the post. But the Society has always welcomed members from
non-academic backgrounds as well as from many different countries.
An annual day conference, which includes the Society’s AGM, is held in
November, usually in Edinburgh. Since 2005, it has included a lecture in
memory of Hermann Pálsson, late Professor of Old Icelandic Literature at
the University of Edinburgh.
These lectures – by prominent scholars from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, as
well as the UK – have covered a wide field of scholarship, including
history, archaeology, literature, music, and material culture.
The first ‘visiting’ conference went to Orkney in 1973 and set a pattern
of involving local people and combining field trips with lectures. These
conferences have been organised in numerous Scottish locations, as well
as Cumbria, the Isle of Man, York, and the Ĺland Islands. Conferences
have also been held in conjunction with academic institutions and
societies with similar interests.
The Society has published sixteen books, often including papers given at
conferences, from Scandinavian Shetland in 1978 to Scandinavia Refracted
and Islands of Place and Space in 2022. Those publications now out of
print have been made available digitally on the Society’s website.
The Society’s has also produced its journal, Northern Studies, since
1972, with volume 50 released in 2019. It is peer-reviewed and includes
a wide range of articles and relevant book reviews. All but the latest
volumes are available on the website.
It has always been an aim of the Society to encourage students, and this
has been achieved in several ways, including travel bursaries for
conferences and an annual essay prize named after Magnus Magnusson, the
writer, broadcaster, and former member. The winning essay is published
in Northern Studies.
Several online books are
available including...
The Province of Strathnaver (2000) |
