NS 10/11 PAPER C
Meeting of 9th March 2011
Visiting Northern Scholar – Rósa Thorsteinsdóttir
The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, Reykjavik, Iceland
Report of Visit, January 2011
Dr Kath Campbell, Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh
The department of Celtic and Scottish Studies was delighted to host the visit of Ms
Thorsteinsdóttir between Tuesday 23 November and Wednesday 1 December 2010.
Ms Thorsteinsdóttir gave her Northern Scholars Lecture on aspects of the archive
holdings of the Árni Magnússon Institute on Thursday evening (25 November). This
was well attended by interested people from a number of departments
and from members of the local Icelandic community who had been circulated
about the Northern Scholars’ programme. Her Friday lunchtime seminar, in the
department’s weekly research seminar series, saw a full house and very lively
discussion, as the issues raised resonate with research being carried out here. On
Saturday 27 November she gave the annual Hermann Pálsson Memorial Lecture,
which honours an Icelandic scholar whose entire academic career was at the
University of Edinburgh, at the Scottish Society for Northern Studies day conference
in Edinburgh. Ms Thorsteinsdóttir consulted materials in the Scottish Studies Library
and in the School of Scottish Studies Archives during her visit. She met with our
Archivist, Dr Cathlin Macaulay, and had discussions with Dr Kath Campbell on the
Levy collection, a joint project which both scholars have been undertaking on the
Icelandic holdings in that collection. She also had discussions with Dr Margaret
Mackay, who has recently retired as Director of the School of Scottish Studies
Archives, as well as with other members of staff and postgraduate students.
We would like to express our thanks to the Northern Scholars’ Committee and to
Patricia McClory and Marion Judge for facilitating this visit, which has helped to
further strengthen our ties with Icelandic colleagues who are working with archival
and folkloric materials.