Unfreezing Our Narratives: New Directions in the History of Arctic Exploration

Both popular and scholarly interest in Arctic humanities has surged over the past few decades, arguably prompted by the urgency of anthropogenic climate change and its outsized effects on the polar regions. This surge in interest has resulted in myriad new work from historians who are challenging long-standing narratives of Arctic exploration, especially nineteenth- and twentieth-century exploration. Yet academic historians have only begun to scratch the surface of research in this area. At the same time, popular histories of Arctic exploration remain dominated by narratives of heroic white men and their brave feats in a hostile climate. How can historians continue to expand our conception of Arctic exploration, while at the same time challenging the hagiographic stories that dominate so much of polar history?

This talk will provide an overview of some of the new directions emerging in scholarship on Arctic exploration, as well as the ways in which public historians are engaging diverse audiences to think differently about the history of the Arctic. The presentation will touch on research into the participation of Indigenous and Black communities and women in Arctic exploration, the role of non-human actors in these histories, material culture and exploration, and queer histories of exploration and expeditions. It will also consider several recent museum exhibitions that have attempted to problematize or decenter white male heroism in Arctic history. The talk will conclude by suggesting ways in which Arctic history might be better integrated with contemporary Arctic science, and how both might be deployed to address the challenges of a melting world.