”Arctic change” is a popular way to frame current developments and to discuss the future of the region as a complex set of interconnected environmental, social and economic changes taking place in the region and leading to its fundamental transformation. Different forms of governance to guide and govern these changes is yet another topical but a complex set of issues connecting different levels of societal actors, forms of action, and concerns, such as sustainability and equity. Also, the question remains whether these transformations are in anyway governable, and what are the possible unintended and unwanted effects of any efforts of governance. Consequently, it becomes evident that governance in Arctic regions goes far beyond the schemes of regional authorities and the policies of few supranational bodies (e.g. Arctic Council). This topical diversity will be addressed at the symposium.

In recent years, social science-based research has produced a myriad of concepts, approaches and methodologies to understand societal transformations and their governability, such as collaborative governance, interactive governance, metagovernance, governmentality and global governance, to name just a few. In order to understand better (un)governability of Arctic change, we invite critically oriented presentations to the Northern Political Economy Symposium 2021 to discuss governance of Arctic transformations as well as examples of empirical research into different processes of societal transformations and their governability.

The event will start with a key note speech by Professor Olaf Corry, University of Leeds, UK. His talk is titled Conceptions of 'nature' in International Relations: where from and where next.

Olaf Corry is Professor of Global Security Challenges at Leeds University, UK. His research and teaching is centred on how natural and social phenomena, traditionally studied separately, might be grasped together; in particular, how global and planetary environmental systems interact with the fragmented and uneven international system. His current project 'iSPACE' focuses on the security implications of climate engineering technologies (‘geoengineering’). He has published on climate security, the politics of global risks, social movements and geopolitics, and IR theory and global objects. His book 'Constructing a Global Polity: Theory, Discourse and Governance' theorises the emergence of global objects of governance (such as the climate) and how they structure and shape world politics.

The event is one of the activities of the UArctic Thematic Network on Critical Arctic Studies (CAS) and organized in collaboration with the doctoral programme of the University of Lapland “The Arctic in a Changing World”. Doctoral candidates should consult their supervisors about receiving credits for presenting and participating in the event.

The deadline for abstracts of proposed presentations is 24 September 2021. The abstract should include 200-300 words with the name(s) of the presenter(s), affiliation(s) and contact information for the presenter(s). The accepted abstracts and symposium program will be announced online by 1 October 2021. Abstracts should be sent to research professor Monica Tennberg, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland (monica.tennberg@ulapland.fi).

Warmly welcome!

More information:
Research professor Monica Tennberg
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
monica.tennberg@ulapland.fi
+358 400 192 00