By Lassi Heininen
The Arctic Yearbook is widely considered to be the flagship project of the UArctic Thematic Network on Geopolitics and Security (TN). It was initiated at the first TN brainstorming meeting in Copenhagen in December 2011, and the first Yearbook was published in November 2012. Since the beginning, the Arctic Yearbook received popularity among, and is being used by, students, and early-career scientists, as well as Arctic experts. It has become a leading scientific (peer-reviewed) journal on Arctic governance, geopolitics, and IR, as well as on State policies / strategies.
As of November 2025, there is a digital online library - with an open access - of a rich collection of scholarly articles with a diversity of relevant themes. The 2025 Yearbook, with scholarly articles and commentaries, will be launched at the end of the month. None of this would have been possible without a few things, as prerequisites, by the TN members: boldness and a willingness to do something new; the readiness and high expertise to contribute (either as an author or reviewer) and to lean, and be able to lean, on an expert peer-review network; and, of course, an eagerness and curiosity to read, know more, and share their thoughts and expertise.
Nonetheless, the Arctic Yearbook is neither the only, nor even the first flagship, of the TN. Prior to it, and even before the Thematic Network’s founding, there was the Calotte Academy: an international traveling symposium and school of dialogue organized in the European Arctic since 1991. Over these more than 30 years, the Calotte Academy has trained several hundred early-career and senior researchers across the Arctic region, including all Arctic states and Sápmi, as well as beyond, from Central Europe to East Asia. Today, as Alumni, they are either active researchers in different disciplines or other experts on relevant issues.
This makes the Academy the oldest still-running academic institution concerning the Arctic and the entire North. Furthermore, it has played an important role in (European) Arctic and European politics, governance and security, as well as in research and higher education in the Nordic countries and the Russian Federation, accentuated its importance in the current tense atmosphere of world politics (see, CA history).
More importantly, the nature of the field course, emphasizing ‘embodiment’, together with ‘interdisciplinarity’ and the interplay between science, politics and business, makes the Academy a credible and efficient pedagogical format for engaging and communicating with local, regional and Indigenous communities. For a week on the road, it is an achievement to create a unique atmosphere, via dialogue between participants along a route covering several locations and crossing different borders.
Professor Rasmus Bertelsen at the University of Tromsø: “I would emphasize the field course format of Calotte Academy with engaging local and indigenous, academic, political, etc., communities en route so effectively. The CA alumni community is a who’s who of Arctic affairs.”
Research Associate & PhD Candidate Michaela Louise Coote at the University of Galway: “Our article, partly due to Calotte Academy as a relationship developer, is a success in cross border peace research during difficult times.”
Although it might sound surprising, the combination of embodiment and dialogue is a rather unique and seldom used method when training early-career researchers and other experts. It is, however, an efficient and attractive method among young researchers and other experts – in particular comparing to the mainstream classroom-based one in campuses. Indeed, this format is a perfect platform for learning and studying, for sharing experiences and knowledge, and for (re)thinking and reality checks. Hence, the Calotte Academy can be interpreted to be a forerunner or model for a new kind of interdisciplinary academic gatherings based on a dialogue, mobility and inclusivity (see, YouTube videos).
Last but not least, the TN acted as a springboard for the global and trans-disciplinary GlobalArctic Project, initiated at the second TN brainstorming in March 2014, again in Copenhagen. The project is actively producing new information and knowledge on the global Arctic, including the obvious impacts of globalization in the Arctic (e.g. rapid warming), and that the globalized Arctic affects the rest of the globe and has significant worldwide implications (e.g. as a ‘laboratory’ / ‘workshop’ for research). The project also inspired the Arctic Circle to establish its first mission council, Arctic Circle Mission Council on the Global Arctic.
Furthermore, the TN sessions at the Arctic Circle Assemblies (ACAs) are known for their lively open discussions, including one, sometimes even two, full round of questions & answers. Meanwhile, while mainstream academic institutions were still hesitating to attend, the TN was among the first academic institutions to organize sessions at the ACAs at the beginning, in 2013, and, since then, 2 to 3 sessions are organized annually.
Although the AY and CA, as the two flagships, could be interpreted as success stories, the real success story under the auspices of the Thematic Network is of being open-minded and courageous enough to facilitate real dialogue happening and running. This produces new knowledge by realizing “the potential of dialogues”, and hence, promotes diversity and freedom of science. Behind is a lesson learned from the early years of the Calotte Academy that an open discussion / a dialogue is useful and efficient in academia. It is a much-needed, though not always utilized, scientific method in academic and policy-oriented gatherings. The most important prerequisite for this is implementation, which is possible only if enough time has been allocated for that.
Overall, the TN, as a joint network of scholars and other experts on the fields, invites and attracts early-career researchers to combine two focus areas – Studies on Geopolitics (from classical to critical geopolitics) and Security Studies (from military to environmental security). Based on these, it draws up a holistic picture of Arctic geopolitics and Arctic security (two sides of the same coin), and encourages us to identify and analyze major changes in these areas. Furthermore, it encourages and trains them to use embodiment and a dialogue, as the two main methods.
For more details:
Introductions of Arctic Yearbook 2012-2024 (https://arcticyearbook.com).
Lassi Heininen, “From Scholars’ Journey to the North into a School of Dialogue – History of Calotte Academy.” Selected Articles of Calotte Academy – A travelling northern symposium on science and politics. (eds. Heininen and Huotari). Thematic Network on Geopolitics and Security, 2021, 4-55. Online: https://www.arcticpolitics.com
Lassi Heininen, ”Pioneering Models for an Open Discussion and Northern Knowledge-Building – The Case Studies of Calotte Academy and Northern Research Forum.” The Arctic Yearbook 2023. UArctic Thematic Network on Geopolitics and Security. Akureyri, Iceland: Arctic Portal. On-line – http://www.arcticyearbook.com
Photos:
Photo 1: Arctic Yearbook 2024, cover.
Photo2: Calotte Academy 2022. Photo by Tatiana Petrova.
Photo 3: Diehtosiida Kautokeino CA 2022. Photo by Laura Orvokki Junka-Aikio.
Photo 4: Čoarvemátta Kautokeino CA 2024. Photo by Zhanna Anshukova.
Photo 5: Lassi Heininen
Photo 6: UTAC Ivalo CA 2024. Photo by Janne Seurujärvi.
