Arctic Modernities: The Environmental, the Exotic and the EverydayHeidi Hansson, Anka Ryall Less tangible than melting polar glaciers or the changing social conditions in northern societies, the modern Arctic represented in writings, visual images and films has to a large extent been neglected in scholarship and policy-making. However, the modern Arctic is a not only a natural environment dramatically impacted by human activities. It is also an incongruous amalgamation of exoticized indigenous tradition and a mundane everyday. The chapters in this volume examine the modern Arctic from all these perspectives. They demonstrate to what extent the processes of modernization have changed the discursive signification of the Arctic. They also investigate the extent to which the traditions of heroic Arctic images – whether these traditions are affirmed, contested or repudiated – have continued to shape, influence and inform modern discourses. Sometimes the Arctic is seen as synonymous with modernity itself. Sometimes it appears as a utopian space signalling a different future. However, it still often represents the continued survival within modernity of the past as nostalgia, longing, dream and myth. |
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According activities adventure aesthetic American appears Arctic argues become called Canada Canadian Cape century chapter Chukchi civilization collection connected created culture Danish described discourse Dreams early edited environment example expedition experience exploration fact Famine Figure forces Franklin future gender Greenland Grøndal hand Herta human hunting icebergs idea images imagined important indigenous infrastructure Ingstad interest Inuit journey knowledge land landscape light literary literature living Longyearbyen Lopez material means modernity narrative nature North North Cape Northern Norway Norwegian notes novel Oxaas past perspective photographs polar position possible practices present published refers region relation represents Russian Rytkheu Scott seems seen sense ships shows social society Soviet space Storch story sublime Svalbard symbolic tourist traditional translation Tromsø understanding University Western wilderness winter women writes