Education

2011: PhD in History, Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Iceland.

1996: MA in History, University of Iceland.

1989: BA in History, University of Iceland.

Professional expertise

2020–. Professor of women's and gender history, University of Iceland.

2018–2020. Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor of women’s and gender history, University of Iceland.

2016–2018. Lecturer/Assistant Professor of women’s and gender history, University of Iceland.

2017–2018. Co-editor of Saga, the journal of the Historical Society of Iceland, the principal scientific historical journal for Icelandic history.

2015–2016. Research Fellow, Institute of History, University of Iceland.

2014–2015. Visiting Scholar, Department of Languages (in historical literacy), Umeå University, Sweden, 27 October to 19 December 2014 & 5 February to 6 March 2015.

2014. May–July. Visiting Research Fellow at The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, The University of Edinburgh (IASH).

2013–2014. Visiting Scholar, Sociology, The University of Edinburgh, March 2013– August 2014.

2013–2014. Post-doc, Centre for Research in the Humanities, University of Iceland, 1 February 2013 – 31 December 2014.

2011–2012. Research Fellow at The ReykjavíkAcademy, funded by the Nordic research project ‘Reading and Writing From below’.

2006–. Part-time lecturer at the Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Iceland.

2006–2009: Historical Society of Iceland: Executive board.

2007–2009. The Centre for Oral History, Reykjavík, Iceland: Executive board.

2009–2013. The Women’s History Archives, Reykjavík, Iceland: Executive board.

2005–2010. Participated as doctoral student in Cliohres.net (Creating Links and Innovative Overviews for a New History Research Agenda for the Citizens of a Growing Europe). Network of Excellence funded by the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme.

2002–2006. Saga (Journal of the Historical Society of Iceland): Advisory Board.

2002–2005. Participant, on the behalf of Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies, in ATHENA II, a network funded by the EU (Socrates). The ATHENA network started in 1996 and consists of more than 100 European institutions that work within the field of women’s and gender studies.

2001–2005.  Specialist/Researcher, Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (RIKK), University of Iceland.

2001–2005. Freelance historian (editorial work, research etc.).

1996–, extensive experience in the organization of scholarly events and conferences both on national and international level, the latest being the 9^thConference of Nordic Women’s and Gender Historians in Reykjavík in August 2008.

1996–2001. Director, Women’s History Archives.

1995–1998. Icelandic Historians Association: Board. Director 1996-1998.

Honors and awards

Konur sem kjósa. Aldarsaga [A Century of Women Voters] awared as best non-fiction by Fjöruverðlaunin 2021 [The Icelandic women's literature prize for nonfiction] and by The Literature Prize of the Personnel in Bookstores. Nomianted for the Icelandic Literature Prize for non-fiction.

RANNÍS [The Icelandic Research Fund], 2017-2019/2022, 2013-2016, 2009-2011, 2006-2009.

The Swedish Academy 2014–2015 (3 months stay in Umeå, Sweden).

IASH Research Fellowship, 1 May to 25 July 2014, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities við The University of Edinburgh, www.iash.ed.ac.uk

Nordic research project Reading and Writing from Below, funded by NOS-H. 2011-2012.

Nominations for literary prizes for the doctoral thesis 2011: Women of Modernity. Women's Education and the Construction of Gender in Iceland 1850–1903:

— The Icelandic women's literature prize for nonfiction (one of three books nominated).

— The yearly special award for academic work of outstanding quality, awarded by Hagthenkir. The Association of Icelandic Non-fiction Writers.  One of ten books nominated.

Launasjóður sjálfstætt starfandi fræðimanna [Non-Fiction Writer’s Fund] 2011, six months.

Hagþenkir [Hagthenkir.The Assocation of Icelandic Non-fiction Writers2011], one month.

Rannsóknanámssjóður Háskóla Íslands [Icelandic Research Fund for Graduate Studies, University of Iceland], 1995-1996.

Nýsköpunarsjóður námsmanna [Icelandic Student Innovation Fund], 1995.

Research projects – work in progress

In the Wake of Suffrage. Icelandic Women as cultural and political agents, 1915-2015. Research project with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir and Þorgerður Þorvaldsdóttir. Individual & co-authored papers.

Letter to my brother. A historical exploration of Sigríður Pálsdóttir’s life and letters (1809-1871). A historical biography.

Books

2020, co-author with Kristin Svava Tómasdóttir, Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir and Þorgerður H. Þorvaldsdóttir, A Century of Women Voters. Reykjavík: Sögufélag, 2020.

2016. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, Maarit Leskelä-Kärki, Tiina Kinnunen og Birgitte Possing (eds), Biography, gender and history: Nordic Perspectives. Cultural History – Kulttuurihistoria 14. Turku: k&h, Turku University, 2016.

2011. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, Nútímans konur. Menntun kvenna og mótun kyngervis á Íslandi 1850–1903 [Women of Modernity. Women’s Education and the Construction of Gender in Iceland 1850–1903]. Reykjavík: Sagnfræðistofnun/RIKK, Háskólaútgáfan, 2011.

1998. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir and Guðrún Dís Jónatansdóttir (eds), Ártöl og áfangar í sögu íslenskra kvenna [Milestones in the History of Women in Iceland]. Reykjavík: Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 1998.

Selected articles and book chapters

2022, with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, „Ósjálfráðu atkvæðin. Viðhorf til kvenkjósenda og heimakosningarnar 1923 og 1944“, Saga 60, nr. 1 (2022), 77–115. [Practicing the right to vote: views towards female voters and home voting in 1923 and 1944]

2022. „Ótímabær andlátstilkynning kvennasögunnar“, Saga 60, nr. 1 (2022), 153–167. [An untimely death announcement of women's history].

2021. „Speaking From the Fringes: Which Europe Belongs to Europe?“, í Why Europe, Which Europe? A Debate on Contemporary European History as a Field of Research, ritstj. Sonja Levsen og Jörg Requate, published online 3 May 2021, https://europedebate.hypotheses.org/885

2020, co-author with Kristin Svava Tómasdóttir, Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir and Þorgerður H. Þorvaldsdóttir, A Century of Women Voters. Reykjavík: Sögufélag, 2020.

2020. “The unforeseeable narrative. Epistolary lives in nineteenth-century Iceland”, in The Palgrave Macmillan Handbook of Auto/Biography, ed. in chief Julie Parsons. Palgrave Macmillan 2020.

2019. “Sögulegir gerendur og aukapersónur. Kyngervi og sagnaritun þjóða(r)”, [Historical Agents and Extras. Gendering National Historiography/ies] Saga 57:1 (2019), bls. 53–86.

2018. “Skór Jóns Sigurðssonar. Vangaveltur um kvenhetjur og þjóðhetjur”, [Jón Sigurðsson’s Shoes. Reflections on Heroines and National Heroes] Skírnir 192. ár (vor 2018), pp. 18–33.

2018. “Beyond the Centre: women in nineteenth- century Iceland and the grand narratives of European women’s and gender history”, Women's History Review 27:2 (2018), pp. 54–75.

2017. “’Andvarp syrgjandi ekkju‘. Dauðinn, sorgin og trúin í bréfum Sigríðar Pálsdóttur”, Áhrif Lúthers. Siðaskipti, samfélag og menning í 500 ár. [‘The lament of a grieving widow’. Death, sorrow and faith in Sigríður Pálsdóttir’s letters, in The Influence of Luther. Reformation, Society and Culture for 500 years] Ritstj. Hjalti Hugason, Loftur Guttormsson og Margrét Eggertsdóttir. Reykjavík: Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag, 2017, pp. 367–393.

2016. “A Biography of Her Own.  The Historical Narrative and Sigríður Pálsdóttir”, Biography, gender and history: Nordic Perspectives. Cultural History – Kulttuurihistoria 14. Eds. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, Maarit Leskelä-Kärki, Tiina Kinnunen og Birgitte Possing. Turku: k&h, Turku University, 2016, pp. 81–100.

2016. Co-author with Tiina Kinnunen og Maarit Leskelä-Kärki, “Doing Biography”, Biography, gender and history: Nordic Perspectives. Cultural History – Kulttuurihistoria 14. Eds. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, Maarit Leskelä-Kärki, Tiina Kinnunen og Birgitte Possing. Turku: k&h, Turku University, 2016, pp. 7–34.

2016. Co-author with Tiina Kinnunen, Maarit Leskilä-Kärki og Birgitte Possing, “Afterword: Future Challenges”, Biography, gender and history: Nordic Perspectives. Cultural History – Kulttuurihistoria 14. Ritstjórar Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, Maarit Leskilä-Kärki, Tiina Kinnunen og Birgitte Possing. Turku: k&h, Turku University, 2016, pp. 251–263.

2016. “Gendering Icelandic Historiography/ L’historiographie du genre en Islande”, Nordic Historical Review/Revue d’Histoire Nordique n. 20 (2015). Special issue. Eds. Guðmundur Hálfdanarson and Guðmundur Jónsson, pp. 183–207.

2016. “Hvers vegna amma? Saga og sjónarhorn”, Margar myndir ömmu. Konur og mótun íslensks samfélags á 20. öld. FlétturIV. [Why grandmother? Perspectives in history, in  Grandmother’s many faces. Women and the formation of Icelandic society in the 20thcentury]. Eds. Irma Erlingsdóttir, Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, Sigrún Alba Sigurðardóttir and Sólveig Anna Bóasdóttir Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan, 2016, pp. 161–187.

2015. “Ferð til fortíðar & sagnfræðingurinn í verki sínu” [A Journey to the Past & and the Historian in Her Work], SagaLIII:1 (2015), pp. 121–139.

—. “‘Do Not Let Anyone See This Ugly Scrawling’: Literacy Practices and the Women's Household at Hallfreðarstaðir 1817–1829”, Life Writing 12:3 (2015), pp. 289–308. DOI: 10.1080/14484528.2015.1004352

2014. “Elämä kirjeissä. Miten representoida jo representoitua elämää” [“Life in letters. Representing a life already represented”], in Historiallinen elämä. Biografia ja historiantutkimus.  Eds Heini Hakosalo, Seija Jalagin, Marianne Junila and Heidi Kurvinen. Helsinki: SKS, 2014, pp. 172-185.

—. “‘Don’t you forget your always loving sister“. Writing as a social and cultural capital”,Vernacular Literacies – Past, Present and Future. Eds. Ann-Catrine Edlund, Lars-Erik Edlund and Susanne Haugen. Northern Studies Monographs 3. Vardagligt skriftbruk 3 Umeå University and Royal Skyttean Society: Umeå 2014, pp. 181–192.

—. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir and Sigrún Pálsdóttir, “Hugleiðing um bókina Fjarri hlýju hjónasængur. Öðruvísi Íslandssaga eftir Ingu Huld Hákonardóttur”, [Reflections onOutside of marriage. A different history of Icelandby Inga Huld Hákonardóttir], SagaLII:2 (2014), 99–107.

2013. ”Kvennabréfin á Hallfreðarstöðum. Hagnýting skriftarkunnáttu 1817–1829” [The Women’s Letters at Hallfreðarstaðir. Literacy Practices 1817–1829], SagaLI:2 (2013)

—. “Táknmynd eða einstaklingur? Kynjað sjónarhorn sögunnar og ævi Sigríðar Pálsdóttur” [A representative or an individual? The gendered perspective of history and the life of Sigríður Pálsdóttir], Skírnir, Journal of The Icelandic Literary Society, Vol. 187 (spring) 2013). pp. 80–115.

—. “Er fortíðin öll þar sem hún er séð?” [Is the past as it seems?], SagaXLIX:1 (2011), pp. 7–11.

2010. “Baldvin’s Tear. The Materiality of the Past”, in Making Sense, Crafting History. Practices of Producing Historical Meaning. Eds. Izabella Agardi, Berteke Waaldijk, Carla Salvaterra. Pisa: Plus-Pisa University Press, 2010, pp. 207–219.

—. “The Narrative of Silence.” Life Writing7:1 (2010), pp. 37–50.

2009. “Sem einn maður. Orðræða um hjónaband á nítjándu öld”, Kvennabarátta og kristin trú. Eds. Arnfríður Guðmundsdóttir, Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir. Reykjavík: JPV, 2009, pp. 87-106. [‘As one man. Discourse on marriage in the nineteenth century’, in Women’s movement and Christianity].

—. “Sagnfræðin, femínisminn og feðraveldið”, viðtal við Judith M. Bennett [History, Feminism and Patriarchy. An interview with Judith M. Bennett], Saga, the journal of the History Society], Saga XLVII:2 (2009), pp. 39-54.

2008. “Earning one’s living. Debates on femininity in Iceland in the 1880s”, Rhetoric of work. Eds. Dimitra Lambropoulou, Yannis Yannitsiotis og Carla Salvaterra. Pisa: Plus-Pisa University Press, pp. 44–62.

2007. “Fragments of Lives—The Use of Private Letters in Historical Research”, NORA. Nordic Journal of Women’s Studies(15:1) 2007, pp. 35–49.

—. “’Jeg játa að jeg er opt óþægileg’. Kona í rými andófs og hugmynda” [’I admit that I am often uncomfortable.’ A woman in the space of resistance and ideas], Ritið2/3 2007, pp. 219–241.

2006. “Constructing Identity. A Critical Assessment of the Gender Perspective in Icelandic Historiography.” Professions and Social Identity. New European Historical Research on Work, Gender and Society. Eds. Berteke Waaldijk. Plus-Pisa: Pisa University Press, 2006, pp. 135–151.

—. “Private letters.” Teaching with Memories: European Women’s Histories in International and Interdisciplinary Classrooms. Eds Andrea Petö and Berteke Waaldijk. Galway: Women’s Studies Centre, 2006, pp. 66–74.

2003. “Af bréfaskriftum kvenna á 19. öld.” Alþýðumenning á Íslandi 1830-1930. Ritað mál, menntun og félagshreyfingar. Eds. Ingi Sigurðsson og Loftur Guttormsson. Reykjavík, 2003, pp. 247–267. [‘On the letter writing of women in the nineteenth century’, in Popular culture in Iceland 1830–1930: Writing, education and social movements].

—. “Fræðslu- og menntaviðleitni kvenfélaga 1870-1930.” Alþýðumenning á Íslandi 1830-1930. Ritað mál, menntun og félagshreyfingar. Eds. Ingi Sigurðsson og Loftur Guttormsson. Reykjavík, 2003, pp. 269-290. [‘The Efforts of Women’s Societies in the Field of Education 1870–1930’, in Popular culture in Iceland 1830–1930: Writing, education and social movements].

Reports, editorial work etc.

2007. Co-editor with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir: Kristín Jónsdóttir. Hlustaðu á þína innri rödd. Kvennalisti og Kvennaframboð í Reykjavík 1982-1987.[On the Women‘s Lists in Iceland 1982–1987]. Reykjavík: Sögufélag, 2007.

2002. Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir. Staða og þróun jafnréttismála 1997–2002. [The Status and Development of Equality at the University of Iceland]. Reykjavík: Jafnréttisnefnd Háskóla Íslands, 2004.

2002.2. íslenska söguþingið 30. maí-1. júní 2002. Ráðstefnurit I-II. [Report from the 2. Icelandic History Conference]. Reykjavík: Sagnfræðistofnun / Sagnfræðingafélag Íslands / Sögufélag, 2002.

2001. Kvennaslóðir. Rit til heiðurs Sigríði Th. Erlendsdóttur sagnfræðingi. Reykjavík: Kvennasögusafn Íslands 2001. (With Anna Agnarsdóttir, Hallgerður Gísladóttir, Inga Huld Hákonardóttir, Sigríður Matthíasdóttir and Sigríður Þorgrímsdóttir).

1998. Einsagan – ólíkar leiðir. Átta ritgerðir og eitt myndlistarverk. Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan, 1998. (With Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon).

Selected papers at conferences, seminars, workshops

2022, with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, „„Genomförandet – politiken, institutionerna, valdeltagandet“. Paper presented at Letterstedtska föreningens medlemsseminarium: Kvinnlig rösträtt i Norden. Kampen – genomförandet – fortsättningen, Piperska Museet, Stokkhólmi, 17.–18. mars 2022.

2021, with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, „Practicing the Right to Vote. Female Voters and Male Inertia in Iceland, 1915–1944“. Paper presented at Suffrage Now, Stockholm's University, 13-14 August 2021.

2021, with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, „Becoming Modern. WWII, women’s work, and gendered citizenship in Iceland“. Paper presented at the 13th Nordic Women’s and Gender History Conference, Aarhus, 19 to 21 August 2021.

2021, with Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir. „A Century of Working Women in Iceland“. Paper presented at the Nordic Labour History Network webinar, 18. maí 2021.

2021. „Marginal histories? Reflections on subjects and places – Iceland in the long 19th century“. Paper presented at The Long Nineteenth Century Seminar Trinity Term 2021, Competing/Contesting Identities, hjá Oxford University, 26. maí 2021.

2021. „Independent Citizens? The Local Experiences and Transnational Ideologies of the Housewife in Iceland c. 1940-1970“. Fyrirlestur haldinn 25. mars á rafrænni ráðstefnu The European Social Science History Conference (ESSHC) 24.–27. mars 2021.

2019. “Historical Agents and Extras. Gender and National Historiography/ies. The Case of Iceland”. Paper presented at Feminism, History, and Theory: Reflections on Women, Gender, Labour, and Colonialism. University of Trent, Peterborough, Ontario, 21-22 June 2019.

2018. „The Cold War, the Pill, and the (un)happy housewife in Iceland, 1945–1970“, paper presented atthe IFRWH Conference, Transnationalisms, Transgressions, Translations, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver 9–12 August 2018.

2018. “Housewives in crisis. Conflicting ideologies 1945–1970“. Paper presented 9 June 2018 at the 12th Nordic Women's and Gender History Conference. University of Oulu, Finland, 7–9 June 2018.

2018. With Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, “In the Wake of Suffrage. Icelandic Women as cultural and political agents, 1915-2015”. Paper presented 21 February 2018 at Histories of Gender and Sexuality Seminars, University of Edinburgh.

2017. Invited speaker. “’As it happened not as it turned out’. Reflections on letters, biography and life writing.” Paper presented at the seminar Biography and History at the Research Unit for Life Writing, Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University 26 October 2017.

2017. “Biography and historiography”. Paper presented at the Roundtable Gender and the Reformation of Biographical Writing, 29th Congress of Nordic Historians, Aalborg University, Denmark, 15-18 August 2017.

2017. With Ann-Catrine Edlund, “Gendering Historical literacy. Two Cases of Vernacular Writing in 19th and 20th Century Sweden and Iceland”. Paper presented at the annual conference of HiSoN (Historical Sociolinguistics Network), Examining the Social in Historical Sociolinguistics: Methods and Theory. City University of New York’s Graduate Center and New York University 6-7 April 2017.

2016. „Merkiskonur. Tilraunir til þess að skrifa sögu kvenna.“ [Outstanding Women. Women writing Women’s history]. Paper presented at the Annual Humanities Conference, University of Iceland, 11-12 March 2016.

2015. “Women’s History as Biography. Reflections on the Gender of History in Iceland, Past and Present”.Paper presented at the sessionGenre conventions, gender and the new biographies, 20 August, at the XI. Nordic Women’s and Gender Historian Conference, University of Stockholm, 19-21 August 2015.

2015. [Invited] Panel presentation & discussion at the panel “De Nordiska Kvinno- och Genushistorikerermötenas framtid och organiseringsformer för nordiska genushistoriker”, 20 August, at the XI. Nordic Women’s and Gender Historian Conference, University of Stockholm, 19-21 August 2015.

2015. [Invited] “History on the margins. The gender of Icelandic historiography”. Paper presented at a seminar for the history department, University of Oulu Finland, 25 February 2015.

2015. [Invited] “’As it happened not as it turned out’. Reflections on letters, biography and life writing”. Paper presented at a seminar on biographies, University of Oulu Finland, 24 February 2015.

2015. “Gendered Letter Writing in Iceland, 1820-1840. Reflections”. Paper presented at the workshop Local Identities – global (literacy) practices. Vernacular writing in a textually mediated social world, Umeå University, 16-17 February 2015.

2015. “Ferð til fortíðar & sagnfræðingurinn í verki sínu.” [A Journey to the Past & the historian in her work]. Paper presented at the The Historical Association’s lecture series, The National Museum of Iceland, 27 January 2015.

2015. “Hvers vegna amma? Saga og sjónarhorn”. [Why Grandmother? Perspectives in history]. Paper presented in the series “Grandmother’s many faces”, orchestrated by RIKK, University of Iceland, celebrating the centenary of women’s right to vote, The National Museum of Iceland, 16 January 2015.

2014. “Writing, scribbling, scrawling. Writing (literacy) practices in the 19th century Iceland.” Paper presented atSpråkvetenskapliga seminariet, Umeå Universitet, 9 December 2014.

2014. “Local or Global? The Life and Letters of Sigríður Pálsdóttir (1809-1871).” Work in progress seminar, IASH, Edinburgh, 21 May 2014.

2014. “The unforeseeable narrative. Turning a lifelong correspondence into a life story.” International conference, Writing women’s lives: Autobiography, life narratives, myths and historiography, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey, 19–20 April 2014.

2013. “A Biography of Her Own. The Historical Narrative and Sigríður Pálsdóttir.” Work in progress series, Gender History Network, Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh 23 October 2013.

2013. “One life story. Writing from the margins”. International Federation for Research in Women’s History & Women’s History Network in UK: ‘Women’s Histories: The Local and the Global’, 29 August to 1 September 2013, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.

2013. “Letters to My Brother. Sigríður Pálsdóttir’s life 1809–1871”. The Agents and Artefacts of Vernacular Literacy Practices in Late Pre-Modern Europe, International Colloquium, Berlin, 13–15 June 2013.

2012. “An ‘Ordinary’ Woman’s Life and the Historical Narrative. The Case of Sigríður Pálsdóttir.” A paper in the session The Methodologies of Gendered Historical Biographies: Aims, Uses, Sources, and Ethics, The 10thConference of Nordic Women’s and Gender Historians, Bergen, Norway, 9-12 August 2012.

2012. “’Don’t you forget your always loving sister.’ Writing as a social and cultural capital”.Vernacular Literacies – Past, Present and Future, June 13-15 2012 í Umeå, Sweden.

2011. “Letters to my brother: How to represent a life already represented?” Paper presented atRepresenting Lives: A Workshop on Biographical Research 29-30 September 2011, University of Oulu.