Searching for an Antarctic identity at the Antarctic Gateway Cities of Cape Town (South Africa), Christchurch (New Zealand), Hobart (Australia), Punta Arenas (Chile), and Ushuaia (Argentina).
The Antarctic gateway cities occupy a central role in providing access to Antarctica for people and goods. Located in the periphery of the Antarctic region, the gateways have developed many connections with the Southern Continent and, in general, they concentrate the polar political, economic and cu...
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | English |
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University of Canterbury
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10092/101706 https://doi.org/10.26021/10759 |
| Summary: | The Antarctic gateway cities occupy a central role in providing access to Antarctica for people and goods. Located in the periphery of the Antarctic region, the gateways have developed many connections with the Southern Continent and, in general, they concentrate the polar political, economic and cultural associations of their host countries. This thesis seeks to explore the connections between people, ideas and knowledge in the cities of Cape Town (South Africa), Christchurch (New Zealand), Hobart (Australia), Punta Arenas (Chile) and Ushuaia (Argentina) and the Antarctic region, and to understand how these polar associations may influence gateway citizens in the construction of their identity. Central to these discussions is the influence Antarctic geopolitical agendas of the countries hosting the gateway cities have on their, and their citizens’, connections with Antarctica. Four of the five gateways are regional cities within Antarctic claimant countries. Due largely to coincidence of geography and politics, these cities occupy the role of Antarctic gateways, and receive national and international recognition of hosting associated polar agencies, as well as the economic benefits from the business generated by movement to and from Antarctica. Conversely, the South African gateway presents a distinctive case from the others; based in a non-claimant country and with historic internal power struggles, the largest of all gateways relates differently to Antarctica. This research employed qualitative methods and followed the principles of Constructivist Grounded Theory. Thirty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Antarctic gateways, supported by non-participant observation, extant texts, and photographs obtained in each city. Data analysis was assisted by scholarly literature on identity, nationalism, place attachment, values, and cultural representations of Antarctica. The findings of this thesis indicate that Antarctica is a powerful place that inspires significant and long-lasting connections ... |
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