About the Journal
Our History
In 1942, members of the Icelandic Canadian Club of Winnipeg decided that the future of Icelandic heritage preservation in North America did not lie with publications in the Icelandic language and so The Icelandic Canadian magazine was launched. The magazine started as a project of the Winnipeg club and grew from there.
Many second and third generation Canadians of Icelandic background were fluent in the Icelandic language, especially if they lived in the rural districts but the majority of those born in larger cities never learned to speak the language. None the less the will to preserve the Icelandic component of our heritage is still very much alive even though the language component is no longer being preserved. There was also a need in the Icelandic Canadians to offer their community a venue for publishing literary works separate from the other Icelandic Canadian publishing endeavors which were more newspaper based.
Up until 1986 the editorial board served primarily as an advisory body to the editor-in-chief, providing assistance only when requested. In 1986 the structure of the board was changed, establishing two committees - an editorial committee and a business committee. This was done to facilitate the two major aspects involved with the production of the magazine. Members of both committees also serve on the magazine board. This structure has ensured high quality articles as well as ensuring that the magazine is produced more efficiently.
In January 2010 the magazine underwent a name change to Icelandic Connection. This change was implemented to reflect the wider readership. The magazine is reaching out to all parts of the Icelandic-North American cultural community. The magazine is widely circulated throughout the Western Hemisphere including university libraries and several overseas subscribers. In 2011 the magazine made the move to offering an electronic delivery option of the e-journal to subscribers.
In Fall 2023 the journal was turned over to the University of Manitoba Icelandic Collection. It was decided to continue an annual open access publication of the Journal online and to open the archive to the public. Advertisements were discontinued and the focus of the journal became academic in nature with the intent to foster interest in Icelandic culture in North America amongst students at UM and other university institutions across Turtle Island and elsewhere.
