The panel “Iceland as a Space of Exceptionalism” was held at the Annual Conference American Anthropological Association, Praxis, 20.-23. November 2024. The panel was organized by Kristín Loftsdóttir and focused on the concept exceptionalism in relation to Iceland.

Kristín Loftsdóttir, University of Iceland, gave the paper on general aspects of exceptionalism in the paper “Creating Exceptional Places in a Future-Cancelled Present,”  Goda Cicenaité, University of Iceland, talked about the experience of migrants in Iceland in “Migrants’ hierarchies and a shifting position of Lithuanians in Iceland” and then  Charlotte Ettrup Christiansen, University of Iceland, presented on gender and childcare in Iceland in her paper  “The exceptionally gender-equal society. Uncertainty and morality when seeking childcare in Iceland.” The final paper was given by Már Wolfgang Mixa, University of Iceland, focusing on the housing market and exceptionalism in Iceland, but his paper was entitled, “Is home a privilege in Iceland?” Andrea L. Smith, Lafayette Collage, was the discussant for the session,  giving final reflections on the papers and its theme exceptionalism.