Northern Political Economy Symposium

14.11.2019 8:00–15.11.2019 16:00

Arktikum
Pohjoisranta 4
96100 Rovaniemi
What is left of development in the Arctic? Is sustainable development a utopia in the Arctic? Is development in the Arctic more unsustainable than sustainable?

Sustainable development, a popular idea of balanced, equal and participatory development, dominates the debates about the region. Even research about the region often takes sustainable development as a starting point. However, the progress towards reaching this goal seems slow and sustainable development unreachable. These observations make us ask: What makes development sustainable in the Arctic in different political, economic and social contexts? What kind of social and political imaginaries we have and should have for the Arctic? Do our imaginaries match our means and practices? Are there any attractive, viable alternatives for sustainable development? How do different imaginaries motivate or improve current policies and strategies? What kinds of missed voices and ideas there are about development in the Arctic? How do emotions of hope, fear and uncertainty relate to the Arctic future?

Keynote speaker

Our keynote speaker will be professor Reetta Toivanenen (HELSUS, University of Helsinki, Finland). The topic of her talk will be “European fantasies on the Arctic”.

Call for papers

Papers and presentations covering different aspects of Arctic developments critically are welcome.

Deadline for proposals

Please send your abstract (max. 250-words) with your name, title, affiliation and contact information before September 15, 2019 by email to Monica Tennberg: monica.tennberg(at)ulapland.fi.

The accepted papers and programme will be announced by October 1, 2019.

Deadline for registration

If you prefer to participate to the symposium without presenting a paper, please register your participation before 31 October 2019 by sending an email to Monica Tennberg: monica.tennberg(at)ulapland.fi.

Travel and accommodation

Please note that the symposium participants will to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. There is no participation fee. Let us know if you have any wishes about the diet.

More information:

Symposium organizer, research professor Monica Tennberg
Northern political economy research group, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
monica.tennberg(at)ulapland.fi.