DOCSLIB.ORG

(Post) Colonial Relations on Display Contemporary Trends in Museums and Art Exhibitions Depicting Greenland

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
(Post) Colonial Relations on Display Contemporary Trends in Museums and Art Exhibitions Depicting Greenland Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education (Post) Colonial Relations on Display Contemporary Trends in Museums and Art Exhibitions depicting Greenland Vanessa Brune Thesis submitted for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies May 2016 (Post) Colonial Relations on Display Contemporary Trends in Museums and Art Exhibitions depicting Greenland A Thesis submitted by: Vanessa Brune Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education UiT - The Arctic University of Norway Spring 2016 Cover Page: Statue of Hans Egede, a Danish pastor who introduced the Christian mission and thereby colonisation to Greenland, overlooking the colonial harbour of Nuuk. Picture taken by Vanessa Brune. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone I had the pleasure to meet and/or conduct interviews with during my fieldwork in Copenhagen and Nuuk. This thesis would not have been possible without all your valuable help, insight, information and recommendations and I am so grateful that you took the time to answer my questions. In particular I want to thank: MARTI and the Greenlandic House in Copenhagen The National Museum of Denmark The North Atlantic House in Copenhagen The Photographic Centre in Copenhagen The National Museum of Greenland Nuuk Art Museum The Project “Inuit Now” Secondly, I would like to thank my supervisor Bjørn Ola Tafjord for always being supportive, for taking so much time to help and guide me, and of course for constantly pushing me to go the extra mile. I know it was worth it. Also, thanks to the Centre of Sami Studies for the chance to conduct this study and for providing me with the opportunity to do research in Greenland. Thank you to Hendrik Schade for being so kind to proof-read this thesis. Thanks also to my fellow MIS students and friends for your input and for a lovely time spent together in and outside of class. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family for always being supportive. I will finally have more time for you when I visit now. A special thanks goes to Simon for all your support; for keeping up with me even when I turned into a stress monster (I know, it must not have been easy), and for always being there when things seemed overwhelming. I am entirely grateful to have you in my life! i ii Abstract This study describes how Greenlandic culture is represented in the arts sector of Greenland and Denmark, and furthermore analyses the political processes that those representations relate to. Greenland has been talked about a lot recently in the discussions about climate change, and also in the light of a possible independency of the country in the future. I therefore wanted to find out whether those debates are reflected in museums and art exhibitions depicting Greenland and if so, in what way. During the summer of 2015, I visited three museums and four art exhibitions in Nuuk and Copenhagen and analysed how they described Greenlandic culture. I was left with three main discourses: One being the Greenlander as a hunter – historical colonial views as depicted today; another being the threatened Greenlander in times of climate change, and lastly, Greenlanders as modern people in a country on its way to independence. I argue that the three trends I discovered, have their origin in different socioeconomic or political processes and that a majority of them can be described as having their origin in colonialism. iii iv Table of Content 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 2. The Greenlander as a Hunter: Historical Colonial Views as depicted Today ................ 7 2.1 The National Museum of Denmark ............................................................................. 9 2.1.1 “Jordens Folk” and “Etnografiske Skatkamre” ....................................................... 9 2.1.2 A Culture of the Past ............................................................................................. 13 2.1.3 Kaj Birket-Smith and 20th Century Colonialism ................................................... 17 2.2 Greenland National Museum & Archives ................................................................. 20 2.2.1 Exhibitions on Inuit Culture .................................................................................. 21 2.2.2 The Creation of a Nation ....................................................................................... 23 2.2.3 Utimut - Return ...................................................................................................... 27 2.3 Nuuk Art Museum ..................................................................................................... 29 2.3.1 The Living Room of Svend Junge ......................................................................... 30 2.3.2 Representation of Greenlandic Art or Private Collection? .................................... 32 2.3.3 Expectations and Restrictions ................................................................................ 35 2.4 Aesthetics of Primitivism .......................................................................................... 38 2.5 Summary ................................................................................................................... 42 3. The threatened Indigenous: Greenlandic Culture in the Light of Climate Change .......... 44 3.1 “Greenland Spirit” - The Greenlandic House, Copenhagen .......................................... 46 3.1.1 Connecting Traditions with Modernity ................................................................. 47 3.1.2 “Gradually a theme unfolds” ................................................................................ 50 3.2 “Red Snow” - The North Atlantic House, Copenhagen ............................................ 54 3.2.1 Science meets Art .................................................................................................. 55 3.2.2 Hopes and Fears for the Future .............................................................................. 58 3.3 Climate Crisis Narratives .......................................................................................... 63 3.4 Summary ................................................................................................................... 66 4. A (Post) Modern People: Greenland on its Way to Independence? ............................. 67 v 4.1 “Inuit Now” - Øksnehallen, Copenhagen .................................................................. 68 4.1.1 Contrasts ................................................................................................................ 69 4.1.2 A Wider Picture ..................................................................................................... 72 4.2 “Jette Bang i dialog” - The Photographic Centre, Copenhagen ................................ 74 4.2.1 Greenland now and then ........................................................................................ 75 4.2.2 A Cultural Heritage ............................................................................................... 78 4.3 (Post) Colonialism ..................................................................................................... 79 4.4 Greenlandic (Post) Modernity ................................................................................... 82 4.5 Summary ................................................................................................................... 86 5. Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 87 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 91 Appendix: List of figures vi 1. Introduction Greenland has been discussed and represented abroad in many different ways and discourses over time. While the country was a colony of Denmark from the 18th to mid-20th century, Greenland was mainly talked about as being exotic and remote in the rest of Europe and Denmark especially. The traditional lifestyle of the Inuit was of particular interest of many people in Denmark and Greenlanders have been depicted as hunters covered in fur clothing ever since this time. Modernization made its way to Greenland long ago, though Eskimo- Orientalism1 as the anthropologist Ann Fienup-Riordan has called the process of othering Greenlanders, has not really stopped yet (Dyrendom Graugaard 2009:3-4). Lately, the country has gained attention abroad mainly in the context of climate change and the melting of the Greenlandic ice sheet which many think will lead to the disappearance of traditional Inuit culture. Stories of hunters who get trapped out on the ice are being used as prominent examples of how climate change is destroying Greenland and threatening its inhabitants. In Denmark though, Greenland is mainly talked about in a political context as after gaining self-rule2 in 2009, a possible independence of Greenland from Denmark could become reality. Many Danes are sceptical of this process however – in their opinion, Greenland never really was a colony and the relationship has always been friendly so why the need for independence? These discourses and opinions are wide-spread – in society and the media, for example, but also in museums and art exhibitions which will be the focus of this thesis. When I designed my research proposal, I intended to look into
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aglooka Advisor Spring 2019
    Aglooka Advisor Spring 2019 Issue No. 8 Aglooka Advisor Spring 2019 Issue No.8 President’s Report page 4 Eric Marwick: an obituary page 6 Polar Exploration: article by John Ramwell page 7 Dr John Rae Commemorated on an Unusual Scale: links to an article by Rognvald Boyd on the JRS website page 8 Two Art Exhibitions: article by Sigrid Appleby page 9 RICS honours John Rae: report by Fiona Gould page 10 Hall of Clestrain: archaeological report by Dan Lee page 10 Memories of Two Canadians: article by Anne Clark page 11 An Unexpected Guest: newspaper report from 1858 submitted by Fiona Sutherland page 12 Take the Torch: book review page 13 Arctic Return Expedition: update by David Reid page 14 Poster Competition: results page 15 Notices page 16 Photo on front cover by John Welburn, ABIPP, showing roof patches, new guttering and heavy-duty plastic covering on windows. - 2 - Patrons Dr Peter St John, The Earl of Orkney Ken McGoogan, Author Ray Mears, Author & TV Presenter Bill Spence, Lord Lieutenant of Orkney Sir Michael Palin Magnus Linklater CBE Board of Trustees (in alphabetical order by surname) Andrew Appleby — Jim Chalmers — Anna Elmy — Neil Kermode — Fiona Lettice Mark Newton — Norman Shearer Committee President — Andrew Appleby Chairman — Norman Shearer Honorary Secretary — Anna Elmy Honorary Treasurer — Fiona Lettice Webmaster and Social Media — Mark Newton Membership Secretary — Fiona Gould Administrative Secretary — Julie Cassidy Registered Office The John Rae Society 7 Church Road Stromness Orkney KW16 3BA Tel: 01856 851414 e-mail: [email protected] Newsletter Editor — Fiona Gould The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Editor or the Board of Trustees of the John Rae Society.
    [Show full text]
  • Reframing an Arctic Image, out of the Sublime
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2016-01-26 Reframing an Arctic Image, Out of the Sublime Thoreson, Kristine, Nicole Thoreson, K. (2016). Reframing an Arctic Image, Out of the Sublime (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27572 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2779 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Reframing an Arctic Image, Out of the Sublime by Kristine Thoreson A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM OF ART CALGARY, ALBERTA January, 2016 © Kristine Thoreson 2016 Abstract A proliferation of sublime, mythic and nearly vacant landscape photographs of Arctic regions are circulating in museums and galleries internationally; artist monographs of these photographs are also readily available in major booksellers. Although the photographs are artfully crafted and technically superior, there is the question of what an accretion of so many sublime landscape images of the North accomplishes in terms of perceptions of place, community and culture? It is true that creating awe-inspiring photographs that promote an appreciation for polar-regions is legitimate work.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Review ''Harald Moltke – Painter of the Aurora'
    CMYK RGB Book Review Hist. Geo Space Sci., 3, 127–129, 2012 History of www.hist-geo-space-sci.net/3/127/2012/ Geo- and Space doi:10.5194/hgss-3-127-2012 © Author(s) 2012. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Access Open Sciences Advances in Science & Research Open Access Proceedings Book Review Drinking Water Drinking Water “Harald Moltke – Painter of the Aurora” Engineering and Science Engineering and Science Open Access Access Open Discussions S. Silverman Discussions Correspondence to: S. Silverman ([email protected]) Earth System Earth System Science Science Peter Stauning: Harald Moltke – Painter of the Aurora, Den- “[e]ven in those days [about 1815] Helmuth had the tal- mark, www.forlagetepsilon.dk, 216 pp., ISBN-13: 978-87- ent of sketching with a firm hand characteristic pictures of Open Access Open Open Access Open Data Data 993384-3-6, EUR 40.00, 2011, Published in collaboration such objects as interested him. How he developed this tal- with the Danish Meteorological Institute. ent later on is seen by the many illustrations in ink or pencil Discussions Harald Moltke – Painter of the Aurora, by Peter Stauning, of the descriptions which his letters contain.” (Hegermann- is a well-designed, oversize, glossy paper book focusing on Lindencrone, 1893). An example of one of his sketches is re- the paintings of aurora done during two expeditions, one produced in Thies (photos between pp.Social 192–193). Helmuth Social to Iceland and one to Finland, in 1899 and 1900. The first von Moltke, from a collateral branch of the family, in the Open Access Open Geography Open Access Open Geography two chapters provide background on early Danish studies of early nineteenth century was trained in the Danish military the aurora, and those of the Danish Meteorological Institute academy, commissioned as a lieutenant, and then advised by which led to the two expeditions for the study of the aurora.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh-Day Adventist Church from the 1840S to 1889" (2010)
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2010 The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh- day Adventist Church from the 1840s to 1889 Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Snorrason, Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik, "The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh-day Adventist Church from the 1840s to 1889" (2010). Dissertations. 144. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/144 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. ABSTRACT THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, AND HISTORY OF THE NORWEGIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH FROM THE 1840s TO 1887 by Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason Adviser: Jerry Moon ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, AND HISTORY OF THE NORWEGIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH FROM THE 1840s TO 1887 Name of researcher: Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason Name and degree of faculty adviser: Jerry Moon, Ph.D. Date completed: July 2010 This dissertation reconstructs chronologically the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway from the Haugian Pietist revival in the early 1800s to the establishment of the first Seventh-day Adventist Conference in Norway in 1887.
    [Show full text]
  • The Launch of the Harbour Circle, 29 May Program
    PROGRAM FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE HARBOUR CIRCLE, 29 MAY 1 11:00-17:00 7 10:00 TO 17:30 COPENHAGEN BICYCLES LAUNCH OF THE HARBOUR CIRCLE – THE DANISH EXPERIENCE The official inauguration of the Harbour Circle will take place at the northern Begin your cycling experience at the Copenhagen Bicycles store, end of Havnegade from 11:00-11:30. Copenhagen Major of Technical and Environ- which offers bikes for hire. Knowledgeable guides look forward mental Affairs Morten Kabell and Director of the Danish Cyclist Federation Klaus to showing you around on bike rides along the Harbour Circle Bondam will hold speeches. Bring your bike or rent one locally and join them starting at 11:00. The store also offers support services such as when they inaugurate the Harbour Circle with a bicycle parade starting from Havnegade and continuing over the bridges of Knippelsbro, Cirkelbroen and compressed air for your bike tires and a cloth to wipe your bike Bryggebroen before returning to Havnegade via Kalvebod Brygge and Christians clean. Do like the Danes – and hop on a bike! Brygge, a route totalling 7km. Havnegade will be a celebration zone with on-stage NYHAVN 44, 1058 COPENHAGEN music and deejay entertainment in addition to bicycle concerts, bicycle stalls and www.copenhagenbicycles.dk bicycle coffee and food vendors. The event is hosted by Master Fatman on his cargo bike. Come and join the party! HAVNEGADE, 1058 KØBENHAVN K 2 11:30-16:30 BIKE PARADE 8 11:00-17:00. OPEN HOUSE AT ALONG THE HARBOUR CIRCLE FÆSTNINGENS MATERIALGÅRD/BLOX After the initial bike parade there will be regular departures of Learn more about the BLOX project – the new home of the Danish Architecture cycling teams all day from Havnegade along the new route.
    [Show full text]
  • Moving Archives Agency, Emotions and Visual Memories of Industrialization in Greenland Jørgensen, Anne Mette
    Moving Archives Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland Jørgensen, Anne Mette Publication date: 2017 Document version Other version Document license: CC BY-NC-ND Citation for published version (APA): Jørgensen, A. M. (2017). Moving Archives: Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland. Det Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet. Download date: 26. Sep. 2021 UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN FACULTY OR HUMANITIES PhD Thesis Anne Mette Jørgensen Moving Archives. Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland Supervisor: Associate Professor Ph.D. Kirsten Thisted Submitted on: 15 February 2017 Name of department: Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies Name of department: Minority Studies Section Author(s): Anne Mette Jørgensen Title and subtitle: Moving Archives. Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland Topic description: Memory, emotion, agency, history, visual anthropology, methodology, museums, post-colonialism, Greenland Supervisor: Kirsten Thisted Submitted on: 15 February 2017 Cover photography: A table during a photo elicitation interview, Ilulissat April 2015 ©AMJørgensen 2 CONTENTS Pre-face 5 Abstract 7 Resumé in Danish 8 1. Introduction 9 a. Aim and argument 9 b. Research questions 13 c. Analytical framework 13 d. Moving archives - Methodological engagements 16 e. The process 18 f. Outline of the Thesis 23 2. Contexts 27 a. Themes, times, spaces 27 b. Industrialization in Greenland 28 c. Colonial and postcolonial archives and museums 40 d. Industrialization in the Disko Bay Area 52 3. Conceptualizing Memory as Moving Archives 60 a. Analytical framework: Memory, agency and emotion 61 b. Memory as agency 62 c. Memory as practice 65 d. Memory as emotion 67 e.
    [Show full text]
  • Greenland Explorer
    GREENLAND EXPLORER Valleys and Fjords EXPEDITION IN BRIEF The Trip Overview Meet locals along the west coast of Greenland and experience traditional Inuit settlements Visit the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site The west coast of Greenland is Europe’s final frontier, and sailing along it is Explore historic places from Norse the best way to sample its captivating history, enthralling wildlife and distinct and Viking eras culture. Explore places from the Norse and Viking eras, experience the Spot arctic wildlife, such as whales, birds and seals Ilulissat Icefjord—a UNESCO World Heritage Site— and visit two Greenland Cruise in a Zodiac to get up close to communities, encountering an ancient culture surviving in a modern world. glaciers, fjords, icebergs and more For trip inquiries, speak to our Polar Travel Advisers at 1. 844.205.0837 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for more details or get a free quote here. and geography of Greenland, your next Itinerary stop. Join expedition staff on deck and on the bridge as they look out for whales and seabirds, get to know your fellow Ban Bay GREENLAND DAY 1 | ARRIVE IN guests or simply take in the natural REYKJAVIK, ICELAND ARCTIC beauty that surrounds you. CIRCLE Arrive in the Icelandic capital in the Eqip Sermia Ilulissat morning and make your way to your DAY 4 | EAST GREENLAND Sisimiut Kangerlussuaq Experience a true arctic ghost town Itilleq included hotel. You will have the day Scoresby Sund to explore the city on your own. In when we visit the abandoned settlement Nuuk of Skjoldungen, where inhabitants the evening, join us at your hotel for a Skjoldungen Denmark Strait welcome briefing.
    [Show full text]
  • Meeting of Senior Arctic Officials FINAL Report 28-29 April 2010 Ilulissat
    AC-SAO-APR10-FINAL REPORT Meeting of Senior Arctic Officials FINAL Report 28-29 April 2010 Ilulissat In Attendance: Senior Arctic Officials (SAOs) Chair: Lars Møller Canada: Sheila Riordon and Patrick Borbey (Alternate SAO) Denmark/Greenland/Faroe Islands: Mikaela Engell, Inuuteq Holm Olsen (Greenland), Elin Mortensen (Faroe Islands) Finland: Hannu Halinen Iceland: Greta Gunnarsdottir Norway: Stein Rosenberg (alternate) Russian Federation: Anton Vasiliev Sweden: Helena Ödmark United States: Julia L. Gourley Permanent Participant (PP) Heads of Delegation (HoD) Aleut International Association (AIA): unable to attend Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC): Michael Stickman Gwich’in Council International (GCI): Chief Joe Linklater Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC): Aqqaluk Lynge Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON): Rodion Sulyandziga Saami Council (SC): Geir Tommy Pedersen 1.1. Welcoming Remarks Inuuteq Holm Olsen, Greenland, welcomed the participants to Greenland. Lars Møller, SAO Chair, welcomed delegates and noted the importance of the meeting to ensure that all the necessary processes are on the right track for the 2011 Ministerial. 1.2 Introduction to Ilulissat and Social Events Decision: For information only. 1.3 Introduction of new SAOs, PP HoDs Greta Gunnarsdottir was welcomed as the newly appointed Icelandic SAO and Aqqualuk Lynge was introduced as Head of Delegation for the ICC. It was noted that Karsten Klepsvik was unable to take part in the meeting, and that Stein Rosenberg was Head of the Norwegian delegation. The Chair also noted that no AIA delegates were able to attend. 1.4 Approval of the Agenda Decision: The agenda was approved with no amendments. Page 1 of 23 AC-SAO-APR10-FINAL REPORT 1.5 Approval of Ad-hoc Observers Decision: Four states (the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Italian Republic and the Republic of Korea) and the EU Commission were approved by SAOs as ad hoc observers to this meeting.
    [Show full text]
  • Ilulissat Icefjord
    World Heritage Scanned Nomination File Name: 1149.pdf UNESCO Region: EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA __________________________________________________________________________________________________ SITE NAME: Ilulissat Icefjord DATE OF INSCRIPTION: 7th July 2004 STATE PARTY: DENMARK CRITERIA: N (i) (iii) DECISION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: Excerpt from the Report of the 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee Criterion (i): The Ilulissat Icefjord is an outstanding example of a stage in the Earth’s history: the last ice age of the Quaternary Period. The ice-stream is one of the fastest (19m per day) and most active in the world. Its annual calving of over 35 cu. km of ice accounts for 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice, more than any other glacier outside Antarctica. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years and, along with its relative ease of accessibility, has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes. Criterion (iii): The combination of a huge ice sheet and a fast moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord covered by icebergs is a phenomenon only seen in Greenland and Antarctica. Ilulissat offers both scientists and visitors easy access for close view of the calving glacier front as it cascades down from the ice sheet and into the ice-choked fjord. The wild and highly scenic combination of rock, ice and sea, along with the dramatic sounds produced by the moving ice, combine to present a memorable natural spectacle. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS Located on the west coast of Greenland, 250-km north of the Arctic Circle, Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord (40,240-ha) is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greenlander of Today 5
    Top-Sukkertoppen, a west Greenland settlement, is located on rocky terrain. It is the centre of a valuablesealing and cod-salting industry. Bottom-Godthaab, capital of Greenland, was founded by the Danish missionary Hans Egede in 1721. This view shows the older part of the town including the hospital to the left. .. THE GREENLANDER OFTODAY* By Eske Brun. The Greenland Administration, Copenhagen, Denmark. SHOULD like to begin by saying something about the first and most I serious error generally made about Greenland, and the one which is, I think, the most difficult to eradicate: It is popularly believed that it is cold in Greenland, so cold that wherever and whenever you are there you are frozen stiff, and that there is nothing there but ice and snow. This idea of Greenland as an enormous lump of ice is largely due to the ice-cap. Five-sixths of Greenland’s two million square kilometers are covered by this ice-cap. There is so much ice there that, if it melted, the oceans and seasall over theworld would rise eight meters. The existence of the ice-cap is not due to any excessive cold in Greenland, but mainly to the considerable height of the country, the average height of the surface of the ice-cap being about 2000 meters, and to the heavy snowfall. Paradoxical as it may seem ,the ice-cap is thicker in southern Greenland than in northern Greenland, because the snowfall is heavier in the south. The largest continuous tracts of land not covered with ice are to be found in Peg-yland on the northern coast of the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Early 20Th Century Fluctuations of Greenland Glaciers
    Was there a 1930's Meltdown of Greenland Glaciers? A Senior Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences with research distinction at The Ohio State University Spring 2009 by Adam Herrington Project Advisor: Professor Jason E. Box, Department of Geography Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 3 Data 4 Methods 4 Results and Discussions Land Terminating Glaciers 6 Marine Terminating Glaciers 7 Individual Marine Terminating Glacier Behavior 8 Harald Moltke Bræ 9 Upernavik Isstrøm 10 Jakobshavn Isbræ 10 Arsuk Glacier 11 Kargerdlugssuaq Glacier 12 Conclusions 12 Acknowledgements 13 References 13 Figures 18 Tables 23 1 Abstract Warming around Greenland (1994-2007) has been implicated in widespread glacier recession observed by satellite sensors. To better understand if the recent glacier behavior is abnormal, we use maps, photos, and documentary data from 20th century expedition reports to document if similar glacier response occurred during an analogous warm period beginning in the 1920s. Analyzed together with existing published data, I find that the years containing the greatest proportion of retreating land terminating glaciers over a 90 year record (1870-1960) were 1920-1940 and that of marine terminating glaciers were 1930-1950 over a 140 year record (1850-1990). Furthermore, four marine terminating length change records show rapid length changes concurrent with anomalously high annual air temperatures, all occurring between 1923 and 1946. Thus, the recent precisely-documented Greenland glacier recession can be regarded as a case of a highly sensitive system useful in indicating climate change. 2 Introduction It had been conventional thought among glaciologist that ice sheet sensitivity to climate operates only on time scales of centuries to millennia.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Copenhagen Faculty Or Humanities
    Moving Archives Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland Jørgensen, Anne Mette Publication date: 2017 Document version Other version Document license: CC BY-NC-ND Citation for published version (APA): Jørgensen, A. M. (2017). Moving Archives: Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland. Det Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet. Download date: 08. Apr. 2020 UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN FACULTY OR HUMANITIES PhD Thesis Anne Mette Jørgensen Moving Archives. Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland Supervisor: Associate Professor Ph.D. Kirsten Thisted Submitted on: 15 February 2017 Name of department: Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies Name of department: Minority Studies Section Author(s): Anne Mette Jørgensen Title and subtitle: Moving Archives. Agency, emotions and visual memories of industrialization in Greenland Topic description: Memory, emotion, agency, history, visual anthropology, methodology, museums, post-colonialism, Greenland Supervisor: Kirsten Thisted Submitted on: 15 February 2017 Cover photography: A table during a photo elicitation interview, Ilulissat April 2015 ©AMJørgensen 2 CONTENTS Pre-face 5 Abstract 7 Resumé in Danish 8 1. Introduction 9 a. Aim and argument 9 b. Research questions 13 c. Analytical framework 13 d. Moving archives - Methodological engagements 16 e. The process 18 f. Outline of the Thesis 23 2. Contexts 27 a. Themes, times, spaces 27 b. Industrialization in Greenland 28 c. Colonial and postcolonial archives and museums 40 d. Industrialization in the Disko Bay Area 52 3. Conceptualizing Memory as Moving Archives 60 a. Analytical framework: Memory, agency and emotion 61 b. Memory as agency 62 c. Memory as practice 65 d. Memory as emotion 67 e.
    [Show full text]