1 IPY 2007–2008 and Social Sciences: A Challenge of Fifty Years

• Main Author: Igor Krupnik
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Boreas; Fairbanks; Arctic Council; IASC; IASSA; International Polar Year; IPY
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.586.5340; http://www.svs.is/IASSA/Igor PlenaryFin_March 2009_InclFig.pdf

This paper offers an insider‘s summary of one of the most exciting components of IASSA‘s recent history that goes back to the ICASS-5 in Fairbanks in spring 2004. At that meeting four years ago and in the following weeks, IASSA and the Arctic social science community made what in hindsight was a ‗historic‘ decision to join the preparations for new International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008. Actually, we jumped into that process with a big splash. We openly argued for our place in IPY 2007–2008 program based upon the crucial role that the studies of Arctic communities, people, and cultures play in contemporary polar science. The rest, as people say, is history. It is hard to underestimate the transition between ICASS-5 in 2004 and ICASS-6 in 2008 in the social/human themes ‘ standing in IPY and in the way the broad polar science community views our research. This very Congress, ICASS-6, was an IPY venue in itself (IPY #69), with more than 15 sessions focused on the ongoing IPY projects in the social/human field. 1 Many new partnerships have been forged recently, thanks to IASSA‘s participation in IPY, including the expanding collaboration with IASC; the new SAON (Sustainable Arctic Observing Network) initiative; Arctic Social Indicators study launched by the Arctic Council; and a new BOREAS program. IASSA‘s entry into IPY also