So Strong, yet So Weak: The Emergence of Protest Publics in Iceland in the Wake of the Financial Crisis

Abstract

The financial crisis of 2008, which pushed Iceland to the brink of national bankruptcy, had a profound effect on democratic politics in Iceland. The most significant was the decision of the Icelandic parliament in 2009 to convene a Constituent Assembly which was given the task to revise the Icelandic constitution. The Assembly, which due to later developments became a Constitutional Council, produced a constitutional bill which remains unratified by parliament. The crisis also gave rise to new political activism, oriented against the dominance of established political parties. The paper discusses the loud public demand for more democracy in the wake of the crisis and explores some of the developments it has affected. It is argued here that moral outrage was the main motivation for street protests during this time rather than a radical political agenda. Increased political participation and vigorous grassroots activity have created venues of public-elite interaction that continues to expose underlying social divisions. At the same time, postcrisis activism has not put a significant mark on the political process itself. It is argued that for such deeper transformations to take place, conditions must be shaped for protest action to translate into civic engagement of deliberative and inclusive policy-making. The emergence of protest publics nevertheless means that contested policies and perceived corruption continue to lead to mass mobilization on a scale not seen before the crisis.