Issue 45 - Spring / Summer 2016 Photo credits: Svetlana Serikova Secretariat’s Corner The month of May is nearly over and Umeå has suddenly changed to its summer dress. This is only a couple of weeks earlier than the time for Welcome from the President. .1 ICASS IX next year, and hopefully we can present a setting as lovely as it is From the IASSA Secretary . .2 today. Spring was full of Arctic events and initiatives. Together with Diane ICASS IX - CALL FOR SESSIONS. .3 Hirshberg I represented IASSA at the Arctic Council SAO meeting in Fair- Features banks in mid-March. During the back-to-back arrangement of ASSW Diane was also responsible for the session Reframing Understandings of the North: Understanding the social dynamics of homelessness in Nuuk, Greenland. .4 Placing Social Sciences and Humanities at the Center of Interdisciplinary Update: Arctic-FROST Research Net- Arctic Research. The bulk of observer organizations (IASC, IASSA, WWF, work in 2015…. .5 UArctic, IPS) had a meeting in Fairbanks to exchange views on the common #Arcticlessons - Nordic universities interests, current and future plans, needs and how to build successful rela- presenting Arctic humanities and so- tionships and enhance the role of in the Arctic Council. It was discussed and cial sciences climate change research agreed, that there is a need in better information exchange, a real interest for policy lessons at COP21. .8 and momentum for work on crosscutting issues, which link to the social sci- Largest Arctic Science Summit Week ence and to natural science together. Joint interests include the Arctic social to date is a Leap forward for Arctic observing network with the indigenous communities, use and co- research and policy. 8 management of marine protected areas, conservation of future livelihoods, Arctic Frontiers 2016. .10 Arctic Council future agenda on resilience and adaptation, joint interests and Nunavut Arctic College Revitalizes its actions through the University of the Arctic. Press. 10 Connecting Science with Society – Step by step . .12 SHWG IASC Report . 13 IASC SYMPOSIUM 'DO WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE OF SCI- ENCE?' . 15 The 2016 Arctic Observing Summit – the Process and Path Forward. .16 The notion of ‘traditional food’ in con- temporary West Greenland - a Master student project . .18 Calls for Papers. .19 Upcoming Conferences. 20 Recent Conferences & Workshops ARCUM researchers coordinating a new book on rural tourism . 22 Peter giving a presentation at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Announcements . .23 Photo credits: Gabriella Nordin New Publications . 27 In August 2015, in conjunction with his participation in the GLACIER (Global Leadership on the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement, and Resili- End notes . 33 ence) Summit in Anchorage, President Barack Obama became the first sit- ting U.S. President to set foot in the Arctic. To stimulate an upgraded effort to exploit opportunities for collaborative activities, research Helen Hellmark-Knutsson stated that social the Obama Administration is planning an interna- sciences and humanities are indispensable to a holis- tional White House Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM) tic and long-term understanding of the Arctic. In for late summer 2016. On top of the discussion list is order to be able to see and describe Arctic research Arctic science challenges and their regional and some definitions are of uttermost importance. What global implications. In late April the European Union is the geographic definition of the Arctic and what is presented a new integrated policy for the Arctic that the definition of Arctic research? These challenging strengthens the research ambitions. And it is obvi- questions are in the forefront of several inventory ous that scientific efforts are not synonymous to cli- initiatives where IASSA is promoting the position of NorthernNotes mate challenges but rather to that of a sustainable the sciences branches represented in the organiza- development of the region. Infrastructures, econo- tion. mies, societies, globalization, geo-politics and indig- With that I wish you a really nice summer. enous peoples are explicitly mentioned as important. Also in Sweden we can see an increasing Peter Sköld, IASSA President acknowledgement from the government that Arctic research is not restricted to natural science. At the symposium Challenges and Opportunities in the Arc- tic the Swedish minister of In Umeå the Spring is finally here and we look for- ward to a long restful Summer followed by a produc- tive Fall. Issue 45 (Spring/Summer 2016) 45 (Spring/Summer Issue As many of you might have recognized the new IASSA e-mail list are up and running by now. Recent problems resulted in some delays in distributing in- formation to our e-mail list members. This was due to hacker attacks on Arctic Portal servers (who hosts the IASSA website as well as the e-mail list) but from now on the problems seems to be solved. From now on we sincerely hope that the e-mail list will work accordingly. Information which you want dis- tributed at the IASSA e-mail list are to be sent to me and I will forward it to our list-members. The planning of ICASS IX is getting more intense as the months go by. This will get evident as the ICASS organizing group will distribute a series of calls this Fall. Please note the announcement on Session Call that was distributed earlier this Spring. For full Session Call see below and do not forget to send me your session proposals before September 23rd! I wish you all lovely upcoming summer vacations Flowering bird-cherry tree nearby Umeå University campus, spread- with lots of sun, warmth and time to hang out with ing a wonderful scent and gives a glimpse of Umeå next year at ICASS IX. family and friends! Photo credits: Gabriella Nordin Gabriella Nordin Secretary, IASSA [email protected] IASSA website: www.iassa.org - page 2 - ICASS IX - CALL FOR SESSIONS The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) announces the 9th International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS IX) to be held at the campus of Umeå University, in Umeå, Sweden, from 8-12 June 2017. ICASS is held every three years, bringing together people from all over the world to share ideas about NorthernNotes social science and humanities research in the Arctic. ICASS VIII, held in May 2014, attracted 470 partici- pants from 27 different countries. IASSA is now seeking proposals for sessions. Please submit them by 23 September 2016 to Gabriel- la Nordin ([email protected]). Please include session title, name of session, organizer and com- plete contact information, and a brief description of the session. General ideas on sessions will also be gratefully accepted. ICASS IX's theme is People & Place. Research on social sciences and humanities have a great responsi- bility to address the challenges for sustainable development in the Arctic, with a specific focus on the many different parts of the Arctic and the people that live there. The multiple Arctics have lately been addressed by many policy makers and researchers. The purpose is often to counteract the stereotypic understanding of the Arctic too often represented by icebergs and polar bears. A focus on people and place highlights the many variances across the region in terms of climate, political systems, demography, infrastructure, histo- ry, languages, legal systems, land and water resources etc. etc. We welcome sessions and papers on all facets of the North. And, as always, we also welcome sessions and papers on all other subjects of rele- vance to our members. We encourage the participation of indigenous peoples, northern residents, decision-makers and politi- cians, as well as academics, so that ICASS IX provides a rich environment in which to advance discussions on sustainabilities in the North and on other Northern matters. 2016) 45 (Spring/Summer Issue The Call for Papers will be distributed in Autumn 2016, with a preliminary list of sessions. Important dates on the way to ICASS IX Early August 2016 Call for IASSA Award September 23, 2016 Deadline Session Call Late October 2016 Call for Papers November 1, 2016 Deadline for IASSA Award December 18, 2016 Deadline for Papers Mid January 2017 Early bird registration opens - page ARCUM and the ICASS IX Organizing Committee welcomes you to Umeå in June 2017! 3 - Photo credits: Mattias Pettersson Understanding the social dynamics of homelessness in Nuuk, Greenland By: Steven Arnfjord (University of Greenland) and Julia Christensen (Roskilde University) Homelessness is a growing concern in Arctic urban health and social strength of Greenlandic people centres like Greenland’s capital Nuuk, where visible and communities (see Arnfjord and Andersen signs of homelessness have emerged since the be- 2014). ginning of the 21st century. Homelessness and In this research project, we take a broad ap- housing need across the circumpolar North is a tes- proach to homelessness in order to account for both tament to a host of social and structural challenges, the socio-structural processes of marginalization, NorthernNotes many of which manifest themselves in distinct ways processes that are part and parcel of urbanization, in northern regions. Meanwhile, devolution, re- as well as the everyday life experiences of people source development and climate change continue to living under the conditions of homelessness in boost the economic and political significance of Arc- Nuuk. An examination of the health and social fac- tic towns and cities, and demographic change sug- tors contributing to homelessness in Nuuk, and their gests that Arctic urbanization is gaining momentum interactions with social welfare institutions in both (Dybbroe et al. 2010; Hansen et al. 2013a; Peder- the rural-urban relocation and reproduction of sen 2008). homelessness, forms the starting point for our Nuuk (16.800 inhabitants) is the capital city of study. In particular, we are interested in approach- Greenland (56.500 inhabitants), and the city where ing the emergence of visible homelessness in Nuuk visible signs of homelessness in the country are as a lens through which we can understand the dy- most apparent.