A Higher Level Of Civilization? The Transformation Of Ny-alesund From Arctic Coalmining Settlement In Svalbard To Global Environmental Knowledge Center
September 22, 2020 - Paglia, Eric
Print
EmailJournal or Book Title: POLAR RECORD
Volume/Issue: 56
Year Published: 2020
This article provides an historical account and analysis of the repurposing of Ny-Alesund from Arctic coalmining settlement to Norwegian-administered international research base in Svalbard. Three levels of analysis are employed to explain the settlement's transformation and its rising geopolitical significance, focusing primarily on the period of rapid internationalisation and expansion of scientific activities starting in the late 1980s. The local level examines Norway's efforts to maintain effective occupation of greater Kongsfjorden by promoting research, underpinned by the economisation of the area's near-pristine natural environment as a non-extractive resource for science; the global level applies the concept of telecoupling to consider the role of events and processes at larger spatial scales that facilitated Ny-Alesund's transformation; and the glocal level explains how the interaction of Norwegian and global actors in the locality of Ny-Alesund have collectively shaped the community's institutions over some 30 years. The article also reflects on recent policy changes signalling more assertive Norwegian administration and greater coordination of research in Ny-Alesund.
DOI: 10.1017/S0032247419000603
Type of Publication: Article
