People

Árni Daníel Júlíusson is a researcher at the Institute of History, University of Iceland. He has been mainly working on Icelandic late medieval and early modern peasant farming society in comparison with societies of Northwestern Europe. His research topics include the history of living standards in Iceland, the environmental history of Iceland and the history of social conflict 1300–1800. Árni Daníel‘s publications include Íslenskur söguatlas [Historical Atlas of Iceland] I–III, Landbúnaðarsaga Íslands [Agricultural History of Iceland] I–II (2013), Miðaldir í skuggsjá Svarfaðardals, Jarðeignir kirkjunnar og tekjur af þeim 1000–1550 [The Middle Ages through the Prism of Svarfaðardalur. Ecclesiastical Property and Its Revenue] (2106), and Af hverju strái. Byggð, gras og bændur 1300­–1700 [Settlements, grass and peasants 1300-1700] (2017). In the project Árni Daníel leads the research on höfuðból (manors).

Björgvin Sigurðsson is a software developer at TM Software (health care systems) in Reykjavik. He has a diploma degree in computer science from the University of Reykjavik and a BA degree in history from the University of Iceland. He was formerly head of the division of IT & Dissemination at Statistics Iceland, and consultant at FAO of the UN. Björgvin is responsible for organising the data and designing the project‘s database.

Guðmundur Jónsson is a professor of history at the University of Iceland and the principal investigator of the project. His research interests include modern economic growth and development, agricultural history, foreign trade and historical statistics. Guðmundur’s publications include “Institutional Change in Icelandic Agriculture, 1780–1940”, SEHR, Vol. XLI:2 (1993); “Changes in Food Consumption in Iceland ca. 1770–1940”, SEHR, Vol XLVI:1 (1998); “The Gross Domestic Product of Iceland, 1870–1945”, Nordiske Historiske Nasjonalregnskaper (1999); and “The Transformation of the Icelandic Economy”, Exploring Economic Growth (2004). Gudmundur is responsible for the management of the project and the work packet ‘Landlords and tenants’.

Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir is Associate Professor in Geography at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, U.I. Her research field is mainly sea ice and climatic change, remote sensing and environmental monitoring. She has a long experience in research and teaching of GIS technology and historical geography. Among her publications are (with AEJ Ogilvie) “Sea ice, climate, and Icelandic fisheries in the eighteenth and nineteenth Centuries“, Arctic Seas: Currents of Change 53:4 (2000). Ingibjörg and Óskar Guðlaugsson are responsible for the work package ‘Spatial analysis of farms. An analysis of the relationship between farms and features in the physical and cultural landscape in the beginning of the 18th century’.

Ólöf Garðarsdóttir is Professor in social history at the School of Education, University of Iceland. Her research interests include historical demography, family history, history of childhood and history of education. Ólöf‘s publications (as author or co-author) include “The North Atlantic Population Project: An Overview“, Historical Methods (2003); „Residence patterns of the elderly in early eighteenth century Iceland“, History of the Family (2016); “Infant mortality in the Nordic Countries 1780–1930“, Continuity and Change (2008). Ólöf is responsible for the work package ‘The relationship between socio-economic situation and geographic dimensions of the family and the household’.

Óskar Guðlaugsson is a doctoral student in history at the University of Iceland.  Óskar has a M.Sc. degree in Geography from the University of Iceland.  His master thesis was on tenant obligations according to The Register of Estates of 1702-1714.  His research interests are 18th and 19th century Icelandic social and economic history with a particular focus on using digital and geographic methods. In the project, Óskar examines tenant-landlord relations, the household economy, including estimates of household income and expenditure, and he takes part in the construction of the database. His supervisor is Guðmundur Jónsson.

Sigríður Hjördís Jörundsdóttir is a doctoral student in history at the University of Iceland.  Sigríður Hjördís has a MA degree in History from the University of Iceland as well as a being a certified teacher at the elementary and secondary school level. Her MA thesis is on convicts, county magistrates and sentences in 1755-1759. Sigríður Hjördís has worked in the archives of the Reykjavik Municipal Archives and the national Library. Sigríður Hjördís participates in the works package ‘The relationship between socio-economic situation and geographic dimensions of the family and the household’. Her supervisor is Ólöf Garðarsdóttir.