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Proposal to establish a new Uarctic thematic network 8.4.2021 Critical Studies

The aims of this proposed thematic network are Firstly, the thematic network (TN) aims at strengthening and promoting multidisciplinary, critical studies of the Arctic and its development in a time of environmental change. Much of the current social science-based research is so called “state science” in many Arctic countries with a strong orientation towards data collection and societal problem-solving. However, many of the current societal challenges and problems are complex, intertwined “wicked problems” without any easy solutions, and new conceptual, critical tools are needed to understand them. Critically oriented research has developed around the Arctic in recent years. Critical research here means challenging mainstream, simplified, and stereotypical understandings of the Arctic; questioning basis of the current depictions of the region and its development; engaging more standpoints and voices for diverse reflective assessments of policy; and elevating the importance of the region and its future on the global scale. Secondly, the Critical Arctic Studies (CAS) TN aims to promote teaching and supervision for growth of critical Arctic studies, and to provide a forum for cooperation in teaching, supervision, and research as well as for networking between newer and senior scholars. The joint activities planned are suitable for a range of disciplines such as political science, sociology, anthropology, gender studies, Sami and indigenous studies, environmental management, legal studies, geography and so forth. There are opportunities for cooperation on common interests with other Uarctic TN such as Arctic and Northern governance, Climate justice in the Arctic, Arctic sustainable resources and social responsibility, and Communicating Arctic research.

Main Activities Among planned activities are initially, to run annual workshops for the members of the thematic networks as well as for doctoral candidates in connection to international conferences, workshops and symposiums, such as Northern political economy symposium and Arctic spirit conference; second, to organize joint teaching and supervision activities, such as courses, summer and winter schools; and third, develop joint research projects and applications based on the participants interests.

Current and Planned Activities 2021  To develop a Facebook community – Critical Arctic Studies – open for anybody interested  To organize a session on Critical Arctic studies to be held at the International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences, , June 2021 (online event)  To organize the Northern Political Economy symposium at University of in October (online event) with the theme of “How to govern change in the Arctic?”  To recruit diverse scholars with a focus on Indigenous peoples and underrepresented populations to join the CAS TN.  To develop cooperation with other relevant Uarctic TNs  To contribute with expertise and lectures to the Summer School for Master Degree students, Saint-Petersburg–Salekhard (Yamal) August-September 2021

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 To organize a learning session for the Association of Early Career Scientists (APECS) about the nature of critical studies with a focus on the methodological and research approaches. (online)

2022  To apply funding for research network activities from the Nordic Council of Ministers (arctic cooperation funding)  To search for funding opportunities to organize a summer/winter school in connection with the University of Lapland doctoral school programme and partners  To organize a Northern political economy symposium  To contribute with expertise and lectures to the Summer School for Master Degree students, Saint-Petersburg and Salekhard (Yamal) in the fall of 2022  To organize a dialogue with doctoral candidates at Saint-Petersburg University’s Master Degree Programs on arctic issues  To organize a Critical Arctic studies course for doctoral candidates at ULapland doctoral school programme. The intention is to have this course as an online course in order to open up for international participation  To create a meeting via the NSF conference funding opportunities that would (either online or in person) bring together a diverse group of critical studies scholars to discuss the current and future publication plans  The Center for Arctic Policy Studies will create and curate a location in its website for critical policy approaches/research. 2023  To develop network activities depending on the connections and learning we experience in 2021-2022.  Develop a special issue publication, or a significant single publication with many authors that highlights the need for and the role of critical arctic studies in polar research  To organize a second summer/winter school in connection with University of Lapland doctoral school programme and partners  To organize the annual Northern political economy symposium

The applicants in the proposal are member institutions of the University of the Arctic. University of Lapland, located at the Arctic Circle in , , is the northernmost University in the EU. The university has 5,000 under- and post-graduate students and 6,400 students in adult education. The key research area is Arctic and Northern research, approached from the perspectives of the people, society and environment, as well as art, design, media and law, and the university has been awarded the national-level responsibility to promote expertise on Sámi-related social scientific research. The contact person for the network is research professor Monica Tennberg at the Arctic Centre of University of Lapland. The Center for Arctic Policy Studies (CAPS), housed in International Arctic Research Center, at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA participates in the network. CAPS represents an interdisciplinary globally-informed group of affiliates who mobilize the historical dimensions of policy contexts, the power of collaboration, and the use of integrative approaches towards problem- solving based on evidence-based practices with a positive outlook toward the future of Alaska and

2 3 the Arctic. The contact person for the network is director of CAPS, Dr. Amy Lovecraft, also a Professor of Political Science at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. University of Copenhagen’s Greenlandic and Arctic Studies Section has a long tradition for critical research in the Arctic. In particular, indigenous issues and rights have taken up a central focus in the section’s 100 years existence. As part of this interest, the complex dynamics of colonialism and post-colonialism have been researched. Lately, the questions of self-government, mining and industrialization as well as the consequences of climate change have been in focus. Greenlandic and Arctic Studies Section has full BA, MA and PhD programmes and hosts one of the world’s largest polar libraries. The network contact person at University of Copenhagen is Associate professor Frank Sejersen. The is one of the leading educational institutions in the Ural region of Russia since 1920. The university acts as a research and innovation centre of the Ural region and cooperates with the Russian Academy of Sciences. The University offers educational programs in four main areas of knowledge (natural sciences, engineering, humanities and business administration) and 108 academic majors. It has 35, 000 undergraduate students and 1, 1000 PhD students. Among the university professors, there are those specializing in Arctic nomadism. The research conducted in Chukotka, Yamal and Kola Peninsulas among Chukchi, Nenets, Saami and Izhma Komi focuses on mobility practices and the intangible heritage. Adaptation and resilience to both environmental and social impacts as well as to technological innovations and invasions is also investigated. The network contact person is Professor Elena Trubina. Saint-Petersburg State University’s a history dating back to 1724, the University is the oldest institution of higher education in Russia. At present, St Petersburg University has more than ten different academic programmes related to work in the polar zone. The ‘arctic component’ is included in the training of geologists, hydrogeologists, geophysicists, environmental experts and many other specialists. Moreover, the University accepts applications for two international Arctic master’s programmes - CORELIS (Cold Region Environmental Landscapes Integrated Science) and POMOR (Polar and Marine Sciences) with leading foreign experts taking part in these projects, and students from various areas of study participate to Arctic expeditions on regular basis. The network contact person is Associate professor Nadezhda Kharlampieva. Scott Polar Research Institute at the Cambridge University, UK, aims at enhancing the understanding of the polar regions through scholarly research and publication, educating new generations of polar researchers, caring for and making accessible its collections, and projecting the history and environmental significance of the polar regions to the wider community. Research on histories, cultures, environments and politics includes areas such as cosmologies and knowledge systems, Inuit historiography, orality, traditional knowledge, visual narratives and the circulation of knowledge and scientific practice and knowledge production. The network contact person is Dr. Michael Bravo, the Head of the Circumpolar History and Public Policy Research Group at SPRI.

Contact person for the proposal: Monica Tennberg, Research professor, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland, [email protected]/ +358 400 192 005

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