New articles in The Journal of Northern Studies

REXSAC researchers, Dag Avango and Annika E. Nilsson have recently published articles in issue 2 in 2020 of the The Journal of Northern Studies. The journal has a specific focus on human activities in northern spaces, and articles concentrate on people as cultural beings, people in society and the interaction between people and the northern environment.

Article by Dag Avango: “Imprints on the Resource Landscape: The Long History of Mining in the Arctic”

Abstract:

For several years, public debates about the future of the Arctic have included the growing global needs in minerals and energy resources. To explain and manage this development, it is important to understand impacts of previous extractive industries in the north. Using theoretical approaches from economic geography and science and technology studies, the aim of this article is to describe and explain the growth of mining in the Arctic and its consequences for people and environments. How and why have minerals in the Arctic been constructed as natural resources? What systems have been built to extract them, and what were their consequences? How has the legacies of mining been managed when the extraction has ceased and why? The development of mining is explained as resulting from not only economic interests, but also geopolitical considerations, institutional frameworks and cultural-ideological trends. The same drivers are involved in the making of post-extraction futures and the way people relate to the mining legacies through environmental remediation, re-purposing and heritagization.

Citation:

Avango, Dag., 2020. “Imprints on the Resource Landscape: The Long History of Mining in the Arctic”. The Journal of Northern Studies. Issue 2, 2020. pp. 67-82.

Article by Annika E. Nilsson: “Ruptures in Existence ̶ Openings for the Future The Need for a Different Resource Landscape”

Abstract:

Taking the once seemingly constant yet constantly moving Arctic sea ice as inspiration, this article reflects on how individuals and societies can navigate the ruptures in our expectations about a predictable future caused by climate change. With insights from scientific assessments of adaptation and resilience in the Arctic, it describes various facets of a resource landscape for addressing the challenges brought by the new reality of a warmer and more unpredictable world. In focus is the central role of people, including their learning processes and ability to cooperate. It furthermore emphasizes that futures and values are the outcome of social processes, not predetermined, and thus in the hands of those who engage in shaping them.