Two conferences at the end of October will discuss state of the art humanities research in the north. Results from northern research will be compared to those of other remote regions of the planet.
The BOREAS initiative is a major effort by European countries in cooperation with the US and Canada to join forces for better positioning North humanities research before, within and after the International Polar Year.
As an outcome of the research project BOREAS-MOVEd by the State, on October 26-28, a group of invited scholars will present research results on "The role of the state in population movements: The circumpolar North and other ’periphery’ regions".
October 28-31 the BOREAS final conference with the title "Histories from the North : environments, movements, narratives" will highlight the outputs of the ESF EUROCORES BOREAS programme and open the wider discussion on the role of the Humanities research in the Arctic.
Research challenges the image of a static Arctic
The BOREAS research on the circumpolar North focuses on the relationship between humans and environments. Challenging the image of a static Arctic, this research is exploring the importance of movements (both seasonal and long-term), especially those associated with the creation, permanence and dissolution of communities, and ways in which these are mapped in ancient and new social forms. Human engagement with a given or changing environment finds expression in narratives (histories, philosophies, mythologies, arts and other forms).
More than 100 participants are expected to participate in the conferences. The conferences are supported by the European Science Foundation and US National Science Foundation.
More information from the conference website.