Northern Review

Introduction: Media Representations of the Arctic

Mathieu Landriault — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

An advance online version of this introduction was first published September 2024.

Acknowledgements
The guest editor would like to thank the MINDS program (Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security) of the Department of National Defence of Canada and the Association of Part-Time Professors of the University of Ottawa for their financial support.

Practitioner Perspectives on Arctic Marine Mammals in Environmental News Reporting

Charlotte Gehrke — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

An advance online version of this article was first published September 2024.

The conservation and environmental policy literature suggests that featuring charismatic megafauna or flagship species—large animals with which humans are fascinated—in environmental communications helps to raise awareness and create public and political support for the protection of ecosystems or species. While a considerable body of literature is dedicated to such species, scholars have paid comparatively little attention to the human practitioners creating these flagship-based communications. To fill the literature gap, this article draws on agenda-setting theory and empirical evidence concerning the Arctic—the fastest-warming region on Earth—and its charismatic marine mammals. Through interviews and informal conversations with journalists, researchers, and policy-makers, the study asks 1) why these practitioners contribute to flagship-based news coverage, 2) how they interact with other practitioners in this process, and 3) how they view the content of the news coverage. The article highlights practitioners’ motivation to harness human fascination with Arctic marine mammals to draw attention to broader environmental issues, most notably the climate crisis. At the same time, the article outlines trends in flagship-based news coverage that practitioners perceived as problematic, including the representation of polar bears, human perspectives, and different systems of knowledge. Practitioners also discussed challenges hindering accurate and nuanced Arctic environmental news reporting, including budget, personnel, and time constraints. Through its analysis of first-hand practitioner accounts, the article provides valuable insights and practical information for researchers, journalists, and policy-makers seeking to engage with and improve environmental news reporting concerning Arctic marine mammals, as well as related conservation efforts.

Local (or Not) Insecurity on Arctic Twitter/X: Global Insecurity and Climate Change

Gabriella Gricius — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

An advance online version of this article was first published September 2024.

While Twitter, now known as X, has been used to study political sentiments around elections and political discourse broadly speaking, less research has explored questions of insecurity. Using a data set of Arctic tweets between 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2023, and the R programming language, I asked how posts regarding this region framed the debate around insecurity. My work finds that spikes of insecurity on Arctic Twitter/X did not directly correlate with moments of global insecurity such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 or the COVID-19 pandemic from early 2020. Instead, they reference environmental insecurities such as the 2020 Norilsk oil spill in Russia and other Arctic-specific events that almost all have to do with climate change, both locally and globally. These findings suggest that similar to public opinion polls, local insecurities have more resonance with Arctic publics, rather than highly politicized moments of global insecurity.

Representations of Inuit Issues on X (Twitter): Who is Framing Inuit Issues and How?

Mathieu Landriault, Alexandre Millette, Gabrielle LaFortune — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

An advance online version of this article was first published September 2024.

This article documents who speaks about Inuit issues on social media and how these issues are portrayed on social media. By drawing on data from the Twitter (now X) platform, we analyzed the most relayed messages posted about Inuit issues from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022. We performed a content analysis in order to explore the tonality (through sentiment analysis) and the topics (through topic modelling) of the posts referring to Inuit issues. Inuit users on X formed a small but dynamic contingent, succeeding in playing a central role in defining Inuit issues on the platform. Their popularity could be partially credited to the positivity of their messages. The rare overlap of topics between Inuit and non-Inuit users on X points to the challenge of Inuit users reaching non-Inuit allies. We conclude that non-Inuit allies could do more to relay Inuit priorities and messages on the platform.

Editorial: Number 56

Ken Coates — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Reflections on Reconciliation from Non-Indigenous Teachers in Northern Post-Secondary Learning

Faith Whiting — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

With a recognition that reconciliation within post-secondary education in Canada requires both decolonization—deconstructing structures and practices that privilege Eurocentric world views—and Indigenization—elevating Indigenous Knowledges and participation—this study explored how seven non-Indigenous post-secondary instructors in the Yukon are interpreting these concepts through their teaching practices. Applying a thematic analysis to semi-structured interviews revealed a number of pedagogies that flow first and foremost from the respondents’ understandings of personal identity and positionality. The pedagogies described in this study include a decolonized spirit of learning, physical learning environment, the ability to create and hold space, welcoming the whole student, and collaboration/relationality. By connecting to a review of Indigenous scholarship, these pedagogies (and missing pieces) were further examined, with a look toward perceived challenges in this work and potential sites of action.

Alaska Native Sovereignty and the Federal Trust Responsibility: A Cultural Interpretation of Historical Relationships

William Schneider — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Alaska Native Sovereignty and the Federal Trust Responsibility to Indigenous Peoples in Alaska are two principles that have evolved through time. Interpretation of their meanings and application of government policy reflects basic cultural differences between the settler and Indigenous populations.

Breaking New Trail? First Nations and Municipal Government Cooperation in Rural Yukon

Gord Curran — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Rural communities in the Yukon tend to be very small, most with fewer than 1,000 people, with mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Although small, these communities face economic, social, and environmental issues similar to larger centres. These problems are complex and require a collective response from multiple governments or organizations. This research project explored the factors of inter-organizational collaboration and examined the status of cooperation between Self-Governing First Nations (SGFNs) and municipalities in rural Yukon in order to understand the factors that strengthen collaborative processes and any barriers to these processes. The project involved interviews with six key informants who are, or were, directly involved with a municipality, territorial government, or an SGFN. The research found that while most SGFNs and municipalities engage with each other, the trend is towards minimal cooperation, although relationships are improving slowly. All respondents agreed that SGFNs and municipalities in rural Yukon should collaborate more, for reasons including the need to make the best use of resources and social justice such as reconciliation. Frequently cited barriers to collaboration include a lack of human resource capacity and staff turnover. Other barriers are community histories and Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships. The enabling factor of common understanding has some unique features in the Yukon. The region is a complex myriad of jurisdictions—territorial, First Nations, and municipal governments—with conflicting, competing, and separate mandates. However, the informants felt that a common understanding for First Nations and municipalities should be working together to benefit their entire communities.

Emergent and Regional: Networked Climate Governance Across Northern British Columbia

Sinead Earley, Sarah Korn — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Cities and municipalities have emerged as important actors in climate governance, building capacity and leverage through networks. City networks have led to increased agency for local governments at national and international scales but fail to represent northern, rural, and remote geographies. In response, the Northern British Columbia Climate Action Network (NorthCAN) emerged out of a desire to generate connections in the region and across public and private sectors. This research examined NorthCAN as a regional and multi-sector organization that has the goal of accelerating low-carbon transitions in northern British Columbia. It was informed by data collected via survey and qualitative interviews with active NorthCAN members. Our discussion explores the barriers and opportunities at play in this case of networked climate governance, while exploring equity, policy mobility, and community-centred transition as key themes.

Issittumi paasinnittaatsinik misissuineq: Oqaluttuarisaaneq pillugu ilinniartitsineq aqqutigalugu nunasiaataanerup oqaluttuarisaanerani pullaviit apeqquserlugit

Silke Reeploeg; Tukummeq Maliina Møller-Steffens, Sussi Jensen — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

This article is a Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic) translation summarizing a longer English article originally published in 2023, in the History Education Research Journal published by University College London Press: https://doi.org/10.14324/HERJ.20.1.04

Eqikkaaneq

Ilisimatusartut ilinniartitsisullu nunaqavissut avataaneersullu ilarpassuisa nunat killiit avataanniittut ilisimasaat oqaluttuarisaanerallu pingaarnertut ilisimatusarfigineqartunut ilinniagarineqartunullu naleqqiullugit sammineqannginnerusarlutillu atorumaneqannginnerusarnerat qangalili isornartorsiortarsimavaat. Oqaluttuarisaaneq pillugu ilinniartitsinerup ajornartorsiummut tamatumunnga qanoq aaqqiissutaaqataasinnaanera misissuiviginiarlugu allaaserisami matumani ilisimatusartut Issittumi naqavissuusut aallaavigineqarput. Qanga pisimasut pillugit qanoq ilisimasaqartoqartigineranut nunasiaataanerup sunniutaanik ilisimatuutut siornatigut misissorneqarsimasunik atorluaanikkut allaaserisami matumani siunnersuutigineqarpoq UNESCO-p Piujuartitsilluni Ineriartortitsineq pillugu Ilinniartitsinermut (ESD) tunngavissiaa nutaaq 2021-mi maajimi saqqummiunneqartoq aallaavigineqassasoq. Allaaserisaq naggaserlugu nunap inuii sammisatut ilisimatusarfiginagit nunap inuiisa ilisimatusarfigisaannit ilinniarfiginninnissap pingaaruteqassusia erseqqissarneqarpoq. Ilisimatusartullu nunaqavissut ilisimasanik assigiinngitsunik aallerfigisinnaasanut naapertuilluartumik naligiissumillu pullaveqarnissatsinnut taakkuninngalu atorluaanissatsinnut iluaqutigisinnaasatsinnik pingaarutilinnik periusissiorsimanerat erseqqissarneqarpoq.

Abstract: Many Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and educators have long criticized how non-Western knowledge and histories are actively discriminated against in mainstream research and education. This article foregrounds Indigenous scholarship from the Arctic region to explore how history education can contribute to addressing this issue. By drawing on previous research on the colonial impact on knowledge about the past, the article proposes a shift in perspective in light of the new UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) framework introduced in May 2021. The article concludes by pointing out the value of learning from Indigenous scholarship rather than only studying it as a separate subject. This is because Indigenous scholars have created important approaches that can help us achieve fair and equitable access to, and benefit from, different knowledge resources and systems.

The Northern Review 56

Complete Issue — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Review of Plundering the North: A History of Settler Colonialism, Corporate Welfare, and Food Insecurity (by Kristin Burnett & Trevor Hay)

Sara Komarnisky — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

https://uofmpress.ca/books/plundering-the-north

Review of Unsettling the Commons: Social Movements Against, Within, and Beyond Settler Colonialism, by Craig Fortier

Nicole Bauberger — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

https://arpbooks.org/product/unsettling-the-commons/

Boreal Night

Doug Rutherford — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Watercolour on paper, 11x15