| Summary: | Contrary to mainstream political and academic debates, the cultural dimensions of sustainability and sustainabledevelopment have been prominent in political cooperation in the Arctic region already for decadesunder the auspices of the Arctic Council and its predecessor, the AEPS. This article takes an explicit focus onthe contemporary articulations and understandings of culture and the cultural components of sustainabilityin the context of the Arctic region through an empirical analysis of the Arctic strategies of the eight ArcticCouncil member states – Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, and the United States.Our analysis of the eight Arctic strategies draws attention to four key themes structuring the discussionon culture in the context of the contemporary Arctic. We address the questions of 1) whose culture(s) arediscussed; 2) which factors or developments are seen to form a threat to sustainability of these cultures; 3)why these cultures should be sustained and maintained; and 4) who maintains and sustains them and how.The empirical analysis reveals a significant bias towards focusing on indigenous cultures and their sustainabilityas well as the instrumental role assigned to culture as potentially bringing administrative, economicand reputational gains for the Arctic states. Meanwhile, for non-indigenous residents, there is no culture tobe sustained, but new lifestyles brought on by large-scale economic development to be embraced instead.
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