MACMILLAN Competing Arctic Futures: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives (Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology)

This edited collection explores how narratives about the future of the Arctic have been produced historically up until the present day. The contemporary deterministic and monolithic narrative is shown to be only one of several possible ways forward. This book problematizes the dominant prediction that there will be increased shipping and resource extraction as the ice melts and shows how this seemingly inevitable future has consequences for the action that can be taken in the present. This collection looks to historical projections about the future of the Arctic, evaluating why some voices have been heard and championed, while others remain marginalised. It questions how these historical perspectives have shaped resource allocation and governance structures to understand the forces behind change in the Arctic region. Considering the history of individuals and institutions, their political and economic networks and their perceived power, the essays in this collection offer new perspectives on how the future of the Arctic has been produced and communicated. Review “This volume stresses that it is the responsibility of academics – especially social scientists and those working in the Arctic – to tell stories that reveal how if people can change the climate, the voices they raise, the resources they render (and don’t render) and the governance they enact can also lead to more just and equitable outcomes.” (Mia M Bennett, The Polar Journal, October 17, 2019) Review “Taking aim at historical exceptionalism and geographical determinism, this tightly argued volume contemplates Arctic futures and future Arctic(s). Stretching far and wide, high and low, they offer a set of theoretical approaches, ethical dispositions, historical methods for making sense of the human and non-human geographies and temporalities. Highly recommended.” (Klaus Dodds, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, and co-author of The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know, 2019)  “This book is a provocative and rich contribution to the literature on the history and futures of the “many Arctics”, with a superb and timely challenge to the reductionist tendency in current debates. A stimulating mix of cases and regional accounts illuminate the complexity of competing and diverse futures, and are well placed within a framework of interconnected dimensions of voices, resources and governance.” (Joan Nymand Larsen, Stefansson Arctic Institute, Iceland) “This inspiring volume offers fresh insights into how people project Arctic futures and the power relationships surrounding these predictions. This rich array of historical perspectives encourages us to interrogate common assumptions about the “inevitability” of the Arctic opening up to shipping and resource extraction in a linear, predictable manner in the twenty-first century.” (P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North, Trent University, Canada) From the Back Cover This edited collection explores how narratives about the future of the Arctic have been produced historically up until the present day. The contemporary deterministic and monolithic narrative is shown to be only one of several possible ways forward. This book problematizes the dominant prediction that there will be increased shipping and resource extraction as the ice melts and shows how this seemingly inevitable future has consequences for the action that can be taken in the present. This collection looks to historical projections about the future of the Arctic, evaluating why some voices have been heard and championed, while others remain marginalised. It questions how these historical perspectives have shaped resource allocation and governance structures to understand the forces behind change in the Arctic region. Considering the history of individuals and institutions, their political and economic networks and their perceived power, the ess