Unfreezing the Arctic
This account of a region transformedâand threatenedâoffers âa timely historical reflection on the important social role of science and scientists.ââHistorical Geography In recent years, environmentalists have pointed urgently to the melting Arct...
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This account of a region transformedâand threatenedâoffers âa timely historical reflection on the important social role of science and scientists.ââHistorical Geography In recent years, environmentalists have pointed urgently to the melting Arctic as a leading indicator of climate change. While climate change has unleashed profound transformations in the region, many commentators mislabel them as unprecedented. In reality, the landscapes of the North American Arcticâas well as relations among scientists, Inuit, and federal governmentsâ are products of the regionâs colonial past. And even as policy analysts, activists, and scholars clamor about the future of our worldâs northern rim, few truly understand its past. In Unfreezing the Arctic, Andrew Stuhl brings a fresh perspective to this defining challenge of our time. Stuhl weaves together a wealth of episodes into a transnational history of the North American Arctic, providing a richer understanding of its social and environmental transformation. Drawing on historical records and extensive ethnographic fieldwork, as well as time spent living in the Northwest Territories, he examines the long-running interplay of scientific exploration, colonial control, the experiences of Inuit residents, and multinational investments in natural resources. With a comprehensive look at a century of scientific activity, he covers the political, economic, environmental, and social history of this transboundary region. âA worthy addition to the recent wave of work on northern historyâ¦Bridging the histories of colonialism, resource management, military activity, and Indigenous self-determination, Stuhl focuses on Alaska and northwest Canada, including the Beaufort Sea, Mackenzie Delta, and surrounding region.ââCanadian Journal of History The author intends to donate all royalties from this book to the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) and East Three School's On the Land Program.
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