日本の大学におけるアイスランド語教育を歴史的に考える：最初の問題設定と考察 [Teaching Icelandic at universities in Japan from a historical perspective: Initial research questions and observations]

Abstract

This contribution presents an early account of first academic encounters between Iceland and Japan, the influence of key individuals introducing and expanding Icelandic Studies in Japan from the late 19th century to the present. The aim is twofold: to identify significant figures who introduced and throughout the history contributed to the expansion of Icelandic Studies at Japanese universities, and to raise an initial research question about the motivation of Japanese university students learning Icelandic today. This contribution builds upon an earlier, shorter version previously published on the homepage of Árnastofnun (Bédi, 2025), and is expanding on the original material with additional information and findings.