Tag: Vidar Halldorsson
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Vol. 60, 2025, No. 2
IRSS is a peer reviewed academic journal. Its main purpose is to disseminate research and scholarship on sport throughout the international academic community. The journal publishes research articles of varying lengths, as well as book and media reviews. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: Collective sports success through effective social performances: The case of Olympic wrestling in Iran by Saeed Shamshirian and Vidar Halldorsson (open access).
An exemplary collection that captures the essence and intricacies of Nordic football culture
Mihaly Szerovay and colleagues’ edited collection Football in the Nordic Countries: Practices, Equality and Influence (Routledge) explores football culture, organisation and development in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway. To our reviewer Payam Ansari, the anthology offers a rich, multifaceted exploration of football on national, “glocal”, and global levels, making it a valuable addition to the field of sports sociology and a beacon for future research on football.
A fascinating portrayal of European sports history
Daphné Bolz’ and Michael Krüger’s edited and profusely illustrated collection A History of Sport in Europe in 100 Objects (Arete Verlag) is the first attempt to create a kaleidoscopic history of European sport through its rich material culture. In his thorough, knowledgeable and cogent assessment of the book, our reviewer Conor Curran is highly appreciative of the editors’ huge achievement while still pointing out several omissions, often related to the dark sides of sport – violence, drugs, corruption, etc.
Soccer & Society, Volume 24, 2023, Issue 3 | Nordic football: local and global impact, influences and images
Soccer, a.k.a (association) football is the most popular mass spectator sport in the world. Soccer & Society is the first international journal devoted to the game of soccer, and aims to focus on the game in the context of a more global world. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: Zlatan Ibrahimović: a monument and a mirror of his times(b> by Roger Johansson, Per-Markku Ristilammi & Helena Tolvhed (open access).
The Black Swan of elite football: The case of Iceland | A summary
In this feature article, Vi∂ar Halldorsson summarizes his article in Soccer & Society, in which he argues that Iceland can be identified as ‘a Black Swan’ in modern elite sports because it has produced extraordinary results against prestigious football nations. Iceland’s recent success is produced by a ‘none-elite’ sport system, which is built on different ideologies than is customary in the conventional youth sport academies of most nations.
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Vol. 56, 2021, No. 4
IRSS is a peer reviewed academic journal. Its main purpose is to disseminate research and scholarship on sport throughout the international academic community. The journal publishes research articles of varying lengths, as well as book and media reviews. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: The disengagement process among young athletes when withdrawing from sport: A new research approach by Inger Eliasson and Annika Johansson.
Soccer & Society, Volume 21, 2020, Issue 7
Football, the most popular mass spectator sport in the world, has become a major social phenomenon since the late nineteenth century. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION AND THE COACH-CREATED EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF COMPETITIVE GAMES: THE CASE OF GRASSROOTS YOUTH SOCCER IN SWEDEN by Erik Johan Anders Andersson.
An examination of the Nordic model of welfare and physical culture, reviewed by someone who’s been there, done that
Edited by Mikkel B. Tin, Frode Telseth, Jan Ove Tangen & Richard Giulianotti, and published by Routledge, The Nordic Model and Physical Culture examines the relationships between the Nordic social democratic welfare system and physical culture, across the domains of sport, education, and public space. Our reviewer is Joe Piggin. He has been physically active in almost all Nordic countries – and he quite likes this book.
Sport in Society, Volume 22, 2019, Issue 4: Sport and Outdoor Life in the Nordic World
The considerable growth of interest in commerce, media and politics and their relationship to sport in international academia has resulted in academics in various disciplines writing about sport. Sport in Society is a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary forum for academics to discuss the growing relationship of sport to significant areas of modern life.
Iceland in the world of élite sports – Viking heredity or modern-day smarts?
Iceland’s sporting successes of late, including being the smallest nation to ever qualify for the FIFA World Cup, have prompted Vidar Halldorsson, an assistant professor in sociology at the University of Iceland, to attempt an explanation. His Sport in Iceland: How Small Nations Achieve International Success gets a mostly favorable review by Eivind Å. Skille.
