A Slippery Signifier: Sea Ice in the Norwegian National Imaginary

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• Philip Steinberg (Durham University)
• Tuesday 11 March 2025, 16:30-18:00
• Scott Polar Research Institute, Lecture Theatre.

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As global temperatures continue to rise, Arctic sea ice coverage is melting at alarming rates. The absence of sea ice will irrevocably alter how global networks, trade routes, and extractive processes are formed and understood. While sea ice is rarely found in Norwegian waters, the country has a prolonged history of incorporating the character, challenges, and futurity of sea ice into its national imaginary. From historically regarding sea ice as a space to test heroic masculine bravery, to the geographical and economic positioning and management of the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) or iskanten, and the normalisation of sea ice through the commodification of icy waters, Norwegian sea ice has been framed as a site of opportunity. The retreating ice edge thereby signifies the multitude of political and environmental realities faced by sea ice’s dynamism. This paper tells the story of the evolving incorporation of (absent) sea ice into Norway’s national mythos. Through its material presence within Norwegian territories such as Svalbard, sea ice is increasingly elusive despite its persistent oceanic presence. Shifting from a linear narrative of sea ice’s role within the territorial, marine, and ideological space of the Norwegian nation, this paper complicates this normalised progression and instead suggests a slippery return to the older (nationalising) tropes of frozen seas.

This talk is part of the Scott Polar Research Institute - HCEP (Histories, Cultures, Environments and Politics) Research Seminars series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• AUB_Cambridge Seminars
• Department of Geography
• ESRC DTP
• Scott Polar Research Institute - HCEP (Histories, Cultures, Environments and Politics) Research Seminars
• Scott Polar Research Institute, Lecture Theatre

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