The Nordic Nations in Polar Science: Expeditions, International Polar Years and Their Geopolitical Dimensions (2013)
All in all, it is clear that polar research and exploration are interwoven in the fabric of `Nordicness', in terms of both focal points for scientific agendas and industrial concerns, and the activities are symbolically ingrained in the national cultures of the countries concerned. Expeditions facilitate exploration and research, but they also communicate the visions of the stakeholders involved, be they individuals, institutions or the nations that back them. Commemoration of major expeditions of the past has sometimes been used to concentrate attention on new tasks and tackle new challenges with a global reach. In this sense, polar expeditions may, in some cases, be seen as global events. This chapter is divided in two parts. The first part highlights a number of famous polar expeditions emanating from the Nordic countries that have left deep marks in the culture, politics and science of these nations. Since the stories of the expeditions will be familiar to most readers, I shall not dwell on them. The point, rather, is to demonstrate how these epoch-making expeditions have become linked over time in complex inter-referential chains of events and woven into simplified historical accounts. Such accounts, once constructed and then periodically disseminated with further reinterpretation, provide audiences at home and abroad with images of nations with clear polar interests and ambitions. The second part the chapter considers the international polar years, viewed as global events involving a mobilization of resources and promoting the visibility of science. The participation of the Nordic countries is briefly traced through the four international polar years held intermittently over a span of 125 years between 1882--83 and 2007--09.
...MoreBook Sörlin, Sverker (2013) Science, Geopolitics and Culture in the Polar Region: Norden beyond Borders.
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