Baldur Þórhallsson (born 25 January 1968) is an Icelandic academic. He is currently Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Iceland.[1] He was a deputy member of Alþingi in 2011[2] and 2012,[3] representing the Social Democratic Alliance. In March 2024, he announced his candidacy for the President of Iceland as an independent.
Baldur Þórhallsson | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 January 1968 Selfoss, Iceland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Alliance (Before 2024) Independent (2024–present) |
| Spouse | Felix Bergsson |
| Education | University of Iceland (BA) University of Essex (MA, PhD) |
Early life
editBaldur was born in Selfoss on 25 January 1968. His parents were Þórhallur Ægir Þorgilsson and Þorbjörg Hansdóttir. He grew up on the farm Ægissíða on the banks of river Ytri-Rangá. Baldur finished primary school in the town of Hella.[4]
Education
editBaldur holds a PhD (1999) and MA (1994) in Political Science from the University of Essex in England.[5]
In 2002, he established a Centre for Small State Studies at the University of Iceland in association with colleagues around the globe and re-established the Icelandic Institute of International Affairs.[6][7] He was Chair of the Board of the institute and is currently a member of the Board.[citation needed]
Research
editBaldur's research areas are primarily small state studies, European integration, Icelandic politics and Iceland's foreign policy. He is most prominent for his research on small states and Iceland's European integration. He edited and contributed several chapters to the first Icelandic textbook on European integration. He has authored or edited three books:[citation needed]
- Arnórsson, Auðunn, Baldur Thorhallsson, Pia Hansson and Tómas Joensen, (eds.) 2015. Saga Evrópusamruns: Evrópusambandið og þátttaka Íslands (History of European integration: The European Union and Iceland’s engagement in the European project). Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan (University of Iceland Press).
- Baldur Thorhallsson (ed.). Iceland and European Integration On the Edge. London: Routledge, 2004.
- Baldur Thorhallsson. The Role of Small States in the European Union. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000.
His most highly cited research includes the aforementioned 2000 monograph and several journal articles on the challenges and opportunities that small states face in world politics.
Baldur has taught on small states at several universities and was the ‘Class of 1955’ Visiting Professor of International Studies at Williams College (MA, USA) in 2013 and Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the Queen Mary University of London in 2017.[8]
Caves of Hella
editOn the farm Ægissíða were Baldur grew up there are ancient man-made caves. As a child he used to take guests and travelers on tours around the caves. In 2019 he and his family founded a company that offers guests tours around the Caves.[9]
Presidential campaign
editOn 20 March, Baldur launched his campaign for President of Iceland after receiving numbers of endorsement for the office. Earlier that month Gunnar Helgason launched a Facebook group where he encouraged Baldur to run and the group has more than eighteen thousand members.[10]
Personal life
editBaldur is married to actor Felix Bergsson.[11] They live in Reykjavik and have two children.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Baldur Þórhallsson - Professor | University of Iceland". english.hi.is. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ "Prófessor á Alþingi". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 6 June 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Kom hjólandi til bjargar". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 25 May 2012. p. 72. Retrieved 10 February 2024 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Morgunblaðið - 21. tölublað (25.01.2018) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ "Doktorspróf í stjórnmálafræði". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 24 September 1999. p. 9. Retrieved 10 February 2024 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Rannsóknasetur um smáríki". ams.hi.is. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ "Alþjóðamálastofnun Háskóla Íslands". ams.hi.is. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ "Dr. Baldur Thorhallsson". Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ "Bændablaðið - 24. tölublað (19.09.2019) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ Alexander Kristjánsson (20 March 2024). "Baldur Þórhallsson býður sig fram til forseta". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Valtýsdóttir, Elma Rut (6 September 2021). "Hittust fyrst á bókasafni Samtakanna 78: „Ég hélt hann ætlaði aldrei að hringja"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Morgunblaðið - 21. tölublað (25.01.2018) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
