Arctic Affective States: Constructing Multispecies Life-worlds in Times of Climate Change

In times of climate change on a worldwide scale, weather patterns are rapidly changing. Entire ecosystems and their characteristic landscapes are affected, changing the life-worlds of animals, plants and humans. One of the areas that is most affected is the Arctic region, including countries such as Canada, Lapland, Russia and the US (Alaska). Due to climate change and melting ice, humans and nonhumans are forced to find different ways of surviving, not only physically but also emotional. As of today, the Arctic region forms the stage for geopolitical and economic developments. Human and nonhuman populations in the Arctic region are faced with an incoming stream of climate scientists, tourists and investors that all have a particular view of the Arctic. In this research project, I aim to find out how the systematic objectification and romanticization that depicts the Arctic region as a secluded wilderness, creates certain affective states within Arctic communities. In turn, I...Show moreIn times of climate change on a worldwide scale, weather patterns are rapidly changing. Entire ecosystems and their characteristic landscapes are affected, changing the life-worlds of animals, plants and humans. One of the areas that is most affected is the Arctic region, including countries such as Canada, Lapland, Russia and the US (Alaska). Due to climate change and melting ice, humans and nonhumans are forced to find different ways of surviving, not only physically but also emotional. As of today, the Arctic region forms the stage for geopolitical and economic developments. Human and nonhuman populations in the Arctic region are faced with an incoming stream of climate scientists, tourists and investors that all have a particular view of the Arctic. In this research project, I aim to find out how the systematic objectification and romanticization that depicts the Arctic region as a secluded wilderness, creates certain affective states within Arctic communities. In turn, I examine how this imagery relates to the construction of multispecies life-worlds in times of climate change. I look at how entanglements between humans and nature are influenced by changing discourses, including media representations, oral storytelling and political debates. Concurrently, I attempt to see how processes of oral storytelling relate to dealing with emotions within a society. The main research question of this project is: ‘How do discourses in and around Arctic communities and their implicated affective states relate to multispecies life-worlds in times of climate change?’Show less

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Arctic Affective States: Constructing Multispecies Life-worlds in Times of Climate Change