Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut

This paper simultaneously analyses some objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut (federal territory of Canada located in the Arctic) in 2001: population, housing, language, education, economic activities, health, social problems and geographic mobility. It examines original descriptive...

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Published in:Polar Record
Main Authors: Morin, Alexandre, Édouard, Roberson, Duhaime, Gérard
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/151166
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247409990131
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spelling ftunivlavalcorp:oai:corpus.ulaval.ca:20.500.11794/151166 2024-10-06T13:46:13+00:00 Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut Morin, Alexandre Édouard, Roberson Duhaime, Gérard Nunavut 2024-09-19T17:36:26Z application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/151166 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247409990131 eng eng Cambridge University Press https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/151166 doi:10.1017/S0032247409990131 http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec Inuit -- Conditions sociales article de recherche 2024 ftunivlavalcorp https://doi.org/20.500.11794/15116610.1017/S0032247409990131 2024-09-26T14:36:45Z This paper simultaneously analyses some objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut (federal territory of Canada located in the Arctic) in 2001: population, housing, language, education, economic activities, health, social problems and geographic mobility. It examines original descriptive statistics from the Survey of living conditions in the Arctic and other sources. In some cases the results confirm the ordinary depressing picture of Inuit conditions, but in other cases statistics qualify or even contradict such a picture. The overall findings show that despite objective difficult conditions, Nunavummiut living in Nunavut (primarily the elites and the lower class) are generally satisfied with their communities so that the majority wishes to remain there. Certain modern social institutions and individual rationalities are contributing to this situation: wage earning, market economy, utilitarian and consumption oriented approach, democratic state based on law, formal knowledge, individualism and the capacity for self analysis. The concepts of aspiration and mastery of one's own destiny seem accurate to explain the importance of education and employment in people's satisfaction, and their dissatisfaction about the housing situation. The existence of family and neighbourhood networks appears to explain both a certain residential stability and out migration, through the social support functions of these networks, in which sharing and exchanging food play a major role. In general, if most of Nunavummiut continue to live in the Arctic despite unfavourable conditions, it is not only because they are able to ensure their material existence there, but also because they attach a meaning to and believe that that is where they have the best chance to exert the highest degree of control over their personal and domestic reality. Other/Unknown Material Arctic inuit Nunavut Université Laval: CorpusUL Arctic Canada Nunavut Polar Record 46 2 97 112
institution Open Polar
collection Université Laval: CorpusUL
op_collection_id ftunivlavalcorp
language English
topic Inuit -- Conditions sociales
spellingShingle Inuit -- Conditions sociales
Morin, Alexandre
Édouard, Roberson
Duhaime, Gérard
Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut
topic_facet Inuit -- Conditions sociales
description This paper simultaneously analyses some objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut (federal territory of Canada located in the Arctic) in 2001: population, housing, language, education, economic activities, health, social problems and geographic mobility. It examines original descriptive statistics from the Survey of living conditions in the Arctic and other sources. In some cases the results confirm the ordinary depressing picture of Inuit conditions, but in other cases statistics qualify or even contradict such a picture. The overall findings show that despite objective difficult conditions, Nunavummiut living in Nunavut (primarily the elites and the lower class) are generally satisfied with their communities so that the majority wishes to remain there. Certain modern social institutions and individual rationalities are contributing to this situation: wage earning, market economy, utilitarian and consumption oriented approach, democratic state based on law, formal knowledge, individualism and the capacity for self analysis. The concepts of aspiration and mastery of one's own destiny seem accurate to explain the importance of education and employment in people's satisfaction, and their dissatisfaction about the housing situation. The existence of family and neighbourhood networks appears to explain both a certain residential stability and out migration, through the social support functions of these networks, in which sharing and exchanging food play a major role. In general, if most of Nunavummiut continue to live in the Arctic despite unfavourable conditions, it is not only because they are able to ensure their material existence there, but also because they attach a meaning to and believe that that is where they have the best chance to exert the highest degree of control over their personal and domestic reality.
format Other/Unknown Material
author Morin, Alexandre
Édouard, Roberson
Duhaime, Gérard
author_facet Morin, Alexandre
Édouard, Roberson
Duhaime, Gérard
author_sort Morin, Alexandre
title Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut
title_short Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut
title_full Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut
title_fullStr Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut
title_full_unstemmed Beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in Nunavut
title_sort beyond the harsh : objective and subjective living conditions in nunavut
publisher Cambridge University Press
publishDate 2024
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/151166
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247409990131
op_coverage Nunavut
geographic Arctic
Canada
Nunavut
geographic_facet Arctic
Canada
Nunavut
genre Arctic
inuit
Nunavut
genre_facet Arctic
inuit
Nunavut
op_relation https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/151166
doi:10.1017/S0032247409990131
op_rights http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec
op_doi https://doi.org/20.500.11794/15116610.1017/S0032247409990131
container_title Polar Record
container_volume 46
container_issue 2
container_start_page 97
op_container_end_page 112
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