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Prohibition of Beer in Iceland: An International Test of Symbolic Politics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2024

Helgi Gunnlaugsson  and
John F. Galliher
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Abstract

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Beer has been prohibited in Iceland since 1915, but wine has been legally imported since 1922, as have all other alcoholic beverages since 1934. Since 1932, ten unsuccessful attempts have been made to repeal the beer prohibition. Using the records of parliamentary debates, newspaper reports, opinion poll results, and interviews, we examine the degree of fit between this legislation and Gusfield's model of linkage between status politics and symbolic legislation (Gusfield, 1955, 1963, 1967). We also identify the type of demographic and economic settings that appear to create an environment that encourages symbolic politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , 1986 , pp. 335 - 353
Copyright
Copyright © 1986 The Law and Society Association

Footnotes

An earlier version of this paper was read at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, September, 1986, New York, New York.

The authors are grateful for the help of Kenneth Benson and Edward Hunvald in various phases of this research.

References

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