2023 Scholarly Papers
Fang Fang
To deal with the shortage of a stable workforce, Royal Greenland has recruited Chinese workers in their fish factories. The factory encounters challenges in managing intercultural diversity, and this case study has examined Chinese workers´ perspective on positive contact conditions and crucial factors for a positive organization. The context of this case study is Chinese workers in the Maniitsoq fish factory, for its heatedness in local media and absence of workers’ voice. Ten interviews were conducted in October 2017 and four more in March 2018, and contact factors such as equal status, common goal, cooperation and management support; as well as positive organization factors such as corporate government, human resource management, work environment, conflict management, social activity, language skill, leadership strategy, and stress management are recognized. The final part gives implication for factories to facilitate positive contact and establish a positive work environment and discusses the limitations of the study.
Gao Tianming & Vasilii Erokhin
The livelihoods and prosperity of Indigenous Peoples substantially depend on the quality of local ecosystems and biodiversity. Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of climate change. At the same time, Indigenous Peoples have extensive historical knowledge about the possibilities of responsible and environmentally friendly use of local resources, which allows them not only live in severe conditions, but also adapt to climate change. However, as the changes in the way of living have accelerated under the influence of progressing economic exploration and development of the Arctic, the adaption is becoming increasingly harder. Establishing food security is exacerbated by the cross-influence of climatic, environmental, economic, social, and cultural transformations that Indigenous communities are experiencing. In the cases of nine territories in the Russian Arctic, the chapter conceptualizes an approach to assessing the level of food and nutritional security with the differentiation of environmental, economic, and social factors that affect the security-related parameters in Indigenous communities. The authors make recommendations on how to improve food security of Indigenous Peoples, mitigate adverse effects of food insecurity on public health, boost self-sufficiency in food, and promote the use of traditional foods and related products in diets.
Rikke Østergaard & Javier L. Arnaut
This article examines the conceptualization of nation-building in Greenland, challenging conventional views on sovereignty and suggesting an imminent emergence of an alternate governance model in the Arctic region. Drawing on the decoloniality perspective, we explore the Inuit myth, which suggests a unique connection of the Inuit to the Arctic environment and asserts their status as natural stewards of the region with special rights based on their cultural and political identity. We argue that this understanding of sovereignty has important implications not only for its departure from conventional Western notions of state formation but also for its potential to create alternative governance structures that do not reinforce existing political hegemonies from the “West”. We further analyze how the legacy of colonialism in Greenland has impacted power and gender relations in the region and has fueled a distinctive sense of nationalism that differs from those seen in the West. The article discusses how the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is playing a major role in promoting an alternative political legitimacy model against the conventional approach of nation-building. We note that the ICC depends on the maintenance of political myths which have evolved over time. We conclude by suggesting that conventional perspectives on state formation must be revised to incorporate the historical experiences and knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and that further exploration of alternative governance structures is needed.
Alexandra Middleton
As industrial activities in the Arctic intensify with more players and capital prospects from international players, it is important to have rules on how to conduct business and make investments which prioritise optimal environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors or outcomes. This article focuses on voluntary sustainability and ESG compliance and reporting initiatives related to the Arctic context. In 2015, the Arctic Investment Protocol was introduced as an initial endeavour to tackle this issue by establishing a framework that promotes sustainable investment in the Arctic, in alignment with global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. In June 2022, the Inuit Circumpolar Council published eight protocols in the document “Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement (EEE)”. The shift appears to be in the role Indigenous Peoples take in the formation of rules for conducting business and investment in the Arctic. Protocols released by the Inuit Circumpolar Council build on holistic and collaborative co-production of knowledge and recognise that people are integral parts of the environment, prioritising the importance of Indigenous Knowledge (IK). This article aims to elaborate on the requirement for a paradigm shift that values the collaboration of diverse perspectives for sustainable solutions, where Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge is viewed as part of the solution for achieving Arctic economic development by integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles along with Indigenous Sustainable Finance. In the context of ESG investment principles and Indigenous Sustainable Finance, it has become increasingly crucial to recognise and incorporate the wisdom and traditional practices of Arctic Indigenous Peoples. This article traces the development of sustainability frameworks in the Arctic, examines the Inuit Circumpolar Council’s eight protocols, and proposes solutions for the future development of sustainability frameworks in the Arctic.
Célestine Rabouam
Officially created in 1999, Nunavut is Canada's youngest, largest and northernmost territory and no road network connects the 25 communities scattered across the territory. It is also the only Canadian territory to rely entirely on satellites for its communications and this situation contributes significantly to the isolation of the population, 85% of which is Inuit, and hinders the economic development and political governance of the territory. However, the development of telecommunications in Nunavut raises a major issue for the territorial government and the nunavummiut communities. Inuit organizations have been quick to take up the issue of Internet access, but despite these initial assertions, Nunavut remains the Canadian territory with the least access to the Internet. Two cable projects are currently being studied and/or developed, but the distances between the communities will not allow all 25 communities to be terrestrially connected in the short or medium term. To mitigate this problem, operators of low earth orbit satellite constellations such as Starlink have been deploying their services in Nunavut for several months and aim to compete with the players traditionally responsible for telecommunications in this territory. While Inuit associations are at the heart of the decision-making process for the development of cables (in the Qikiqtaaluk and Kivalliq regions), Starlink's takeover of a part of this market reinforces the geographic concentration of decision-making and organizational power in the South, whereas Inuit associations aspire to relocate these skills locally.
Anna Karlsdóttir, Jean-Michel Huctin, Jeanne-Marie Gherardi, Tanguy Sandré & Jean-Paul Vanderlinden
Concepts like knowledge co-production and narrative-centred approaches have become more prominent in place-based research in the Arctic. This article will share experiences from the Belmont Arctic II program’s project “Sense Making, Place attachment, and Extended networks, as sources of Resilience in the Arctic” (SeMPER-Arctic, 2019-2023). Rooting our work in the Arctic, with and for Arctic communities, we collected local stories of changes, shocks, upheavals, and their aftermaths in three communities: Uummannaq and Ittoqqortoormiit (Greenland) and Tiksi (Sakha Republic, Russia). However, this article is primarily about our research in Greenland. We investigated the interactions between the local narratives of resilience and two broad categories of external narratives: environmental science, and public policy and regional development. We developed a narrative-centered, locally rooted, place-based understanding of resilience. This calls for developing tools and strategies to increase community resilience in other communities and for sharing the lessons learned with regional planners and policymakers. We contribute to the framing of global environmental change through respectful, non-prejudiced enquiry, deciphering what it means to be a resilient community. Therefore, the results of this analysis are meant to be translated into options for actions, at the local, regional, national and circumpolar levels. Working towards maximizing impacts or enhancing resilience from research conducted for the benefit of communities involved in the research requires reflexivity and relationship building. How did this commitment emerge in our research practices? How do we meet ethical considerations? How do we contribute to decolonizing research whose imperative is towards culturally responsive research? This article will discuss experiences, questions and tensions emerging from circumpolar fieldwork-grounded research.
Designed & hosted by Arctic Portal