The view of professionalism as a social strategy differs from conventional theories of professions that consider professionalism as an evolutionary trend. This paper considers the professionalization of progress and educational expertise among teacher educators and other education reformers in Iceland in the 1980s and 1990s. It focuses on the "fagvitund" (translated as "occupational consciousness" or "professional identity") campaign, launched in the mid-1980s and designed to increase respect for teachers in Iceland. The paper uses a conceptual framework that interprets educational reform as a social strategy of epistemic individuals; examines the context in which "fagvitund" took place; considers to what extent the discourse of professionalism has merely occupied the space (field) wherein education reformers work; and compares the interpretation of professionalism as a social strategy with other contemporary interpretations of professionalism. (IAH)