”Globalization” is one of the most commonly used terms in social sciences today. Many diverse, multidisciplinary and influential books and articles are written on this topic. Some writers favour the globalization process in form of free trade, open markets, digitization, mobile and virtual technologies etc. Others are more critical and regard it as an ever tightening network of goods, services and people that cut across national political boundaries, countries and continents connecting communities in a single, interdependent whole. The global is then regarded as a new large and powerful “region” that is able to homogenize localities, regions, nation-states, environments and cultures and bend them to its mighty will. Still others point out, that the world has also become more horizontally fragmented and vertically polarized and stratified with “cosmopolitan” people at the top and “indigenous” people at the bottom. Some analysts characterizes the modern world as being like a driverless out-of-control ‘juggernaut’ system that has set in motion irreversible processes and generating various uncontrollable side-effects. Others see it as a de-territorialized and decentred world without a centre of power and with no fixed boundaries or barriers. The boundaries between home and away, local and global, traditional and modern, here and there have become increasingly blurred. The globalization process is therefore much more dynamic and complex than many of us have imagined until now.

How does one regard the Nation and nationalism within this dynamic and complex process?

Some writers are of the opinion that nation and nationalism is a passing phenomenon. Thinking ourselves beyond the nation, beyond citizenship and beyond the fixities of time and space is becoming not only easier, but also increasingly vital. Others say that nation and nationalism “is still going strong” because it is a deep-felt human need, which can be testified by the current wave of nationalism in various parts of the world. Still others consider nationalism a fundamentally secular and humanistic consciousness based on the principles of popular sovereignty and egalitarianism. Others regard the so-called new nationalism as one of many currently competing political ideologies, which will contribute to a wild, anarchic form of globalisation, characterised by violence and inequality.

We have invited some distinguished researchers to come to the conference “Nation and globalization” at Hrafnseyri in the West fjords of Iceland to discuss this complex phenomenon. The researchers come from various disciplines such as history, political science, anthropology and European studies, and they work in Iceland, Denmark, England and USA. We believe, that Iceland and Hrafnseyri, in particular, is well chosen for this conference. The country is deeply embedded in the globalization process with relatively free trade and an open market. There are industrial multinational companies within its boarders and aggressive young and growing business firms have established themselves on the international market. The population is highly digitized and has until recently contained a fairly homogenized group of people. Immigration from various parts of the world started few years ago and the biggest proportion of immigrants are living in the fishing villages of the West Fjords (up to 40% of the inhabitants). In addition, one of the most important and disputed question in the near future will be whether or not the country shall become a member of the EU.

Iceland became independence from Denmark in 1944 and the national hero of Iceland, Jón Sigurðsson, was born at Hrafnseyri in 1811. The discussion at the conference is therefore bound to be enthusiastic and extremely relevant and interesting for students in various disciplines as well as for people of West Fjord and Iceland in general.