University of Iceland. A citizen of the Respublica scientiarum or a nursery for the nation?

In his address at the opening ceremony of the University of Iceland in 1911, Björn M. Ã"lsen, the first rector of the university, described his vision of the new institution. To him, it was to be a guardian of Icelandic national interest at the same time as it was to become a valid member of what he called the universal republic of science. It proved difficult, however, for the university to maintain its status as both a national and cosmopolitan institution. For most Icelanders, the university was to serve as an important player in the construction of an independent Icelandic nation-state, and as such it was to mark Iceland's particular status vis-à -vis the neighbouring countriesâ€"especially Denmark. Rather than mediating between Iceland and the world, as Professor Ã"lsen had recommended, the university acted as a crucial instrument in drawing boundaries between the Icelandic national community and the world around it.