Ian Watson's Web Site

Greetings from Reykjavík!

I am an assistant professor in the social science department at Bifröst University, in the countryside outside Reykjavík and the editor of the Bifröst Journal of Social Science. I have also been part of the Reykjavík Academy, an independent association of Icelandic scholars, since 2001, and have taught regularly in the bachelor's program in graphic design at Iceland's art university.

My publications list shows all of my scholarly publications, selected unpublished papers, travel writing, and journalism, most of which is available on-line. The sidebar at right has the latest links.

My academic training in in linguistics (B.A.) and sociology (Ph.D.) — see my CV. I've completed an academic book manuscript whose working title is Cognitive Design (see the preview), and would love to put the finishing touches on it if I could be sure there was a market for the material.

In my spare time, I run a small travel website where I publish a newsletter and a free, annually updated travel guidebook for Icelanders.

I'm currently on the board of directors of the Consumers Association of Iceland and write regularly for their magazine Neytendablaðið. I'm also a member of the advisory board for Iceland's government-appointed Consumer Spokesman and recently worked for the Consumer Spokesman on proposals for the introduction of low value consignment relief in Iceland and other mail-order legislation reforms.

I'm also on the board of the Icelandic-American Business Forum and am a past chair and vice-chair of the organization.

I do a limited amount of Icelandic-to-English translation and proofreading work on a freelance basis. Previous clients have included Bjartur-Veröld, the University Centre of the West Fjords, Bifröst University, the Reykjavík Planning and Building Department, Snjáfjallasetur, Félag íslenskra teiknara, Sel-Hótel Mývatn, Landsbanki Íslands, and various individual scholars. Please call or e-mail me if you are interested.

Since 1989 I have worked almost every summer in the travel industry as a travel guidebook author, tour manager and guide, tour planner, cruise lecturer, and in a travel bookstore. (Check out my list of all the projects I've worked on.) Since 1993 I have worked regularly for Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door of Edmonds, Washington. It's been great to help promote Rick's travel philosophy. I've also worked for Let's Go, Frommer's, Holland America Lines, Heimsferðir, and for the excellent Elderhostel tours of Iceland run by Scandinavian Seminar of Amherst, Massachusetts.

Genealogy has long been a hobby of mine. I have a personal genealogy page but it only has a few things on it. I also have a separate genealogy downloads page which makes available some of the work (some for hire, some grant-supported, some for fun) that I did in the 1980s on the Pasco family and the Catawba Indians.

Here are some links to resources from the time I spent in eastern Europe between 1992 and 1994.

If you are looking for baby pictures, please e-mail me for the website address.

Recent Publications

Review of The Real Iceland by Páll Ásgeir Ásgeirsson and Top 10 Reykjavík and Iceland by Dr. Gunni. Reykjavík Grapevine, 4 December 2009, p. 30.

"Starting an open access journal in Iceland." ScieCom Info 5,3 (2009).

"Sparaðu í kreppunni." (Savings tips for Icelandic consumers.) Neytendablaðið, 55,3 (October 2009), p. 11.

"Neytendafrömuður nemur land." (Interview with me on consumer issues.) Neytendablaðið, 55,3 (October 2009), p. 10.

Review of The Far Traveler by Nancy Marie Brown. Reykjavík Grapevine, 25 September 2009, p. 26.

Review of Children's Reykjavík. Reykjavík Grapevine, 28 August 2009, p. 34.

Review of The travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson, translated by Karl Smári Hreinsson and Adam Nichols. Reykjavík Grapevine, 14 August 2009, p. 30.

"Sparnaður og eftirlit með fjarskiptamálum." (Good and bad news for Icelandic telephone customers.) Morgunblaðið, 8 August 2009, p. 26.

Review of The Windows of Brimnes by Bill Holm. Reykjavík Grapevine, 31 July 2009, p. 34.

"Evrópusambandið og póstverslun." (The European Union and mail-order shopping in Iceland.) Morgunblaðið, 12 March 2009, p. 24.

"Bandaríkin: ógn eða fyrirmynd í neytendamálum?" (On the American consumer movement as an example for Iceland.) Neytendablaðið, 54,4 (December 2008), pp. 22-23.

"Opinn aðgangur að fræðigreinum." (Open access publishing in Iceland.) Morgunblaðið, 15 October 2008, p. 25.

"E-kort: hagstæð fyrir einn en óhagstæð fyrir fjöldann?" (On Icelandic rebate cards and whether they benefit consumers overall.) Neytendablaðið, 54,3 (October 2008), pp. 22-23.

"Talhólfið reynist dýrt í utanlandsferðum." (Using an Icelandic cell phone abroad. With Margrét Gunnarsdóttir.) Morgunblaðið, 13 August 2008, pp. 18-19.

"Of dýrt að endurvinna í Reykjavík." (Compares costs of of household recycling and waste disposal in Reykjavík.) Neytendasamtökin web site, 16 July 2008.

"Að velja rétta málaskólann." (Language schools abroad. With Margrét Gunnarsdóttir.) Morgunblaðið, 15 July 2008, p. 17.

"Er fríhöfnin ódýrari?" (Are prices in the duty-free store at Keflavík Airport lower than in town?) Neytendablaðið, 54,2 (June 2008), pp. 4-5.

"Bílaleiga hefur færst alfarið á netið." (Advice on car rental. With Margrét Gunnarsdóttir.) Morgunblaðið, 12 June 2008, p. 20.

"Leitin að réttu gistingunni." (Finding accommodations. With Margrét Gunnarsdóttir.) Morgunblaðið, 8 May 2008, p. 19.