The construction, solidification and political implications of geographical scientific facts:a perspective on the ‘changing’ Arctic region

• Main Author: Väätänen, V. (Vesa)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021
• Subjects: Actor-Network Theory; Arctic politics; Geographical knowledge; Region; Science; Arctic
• Online Access: http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi-fe2021120358723

Abstract In this paper I unpack the now taken-for-granted understanding of the Arctic as a changing region. Instead of taking ‘change’ as an objectively discoverable phenomenon taking place within the region, I argue that a more elaborate understanding regarding the heated discussion on the Arctic during the past few decades can be achieved by deconstructing how change itself emerged to define the region. I utilize this perspective, which mainly draws on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and constructionist conceptualization of regions, to underscore how and why knowledge that first attached change to the Arctic was constructed in scientific practices and how the notion of a changing Arctic solidified as a taken-for-granted fact. I analyze the process through which this solidification has taken place by looking into how a variety of actors embraced this knowledge and incorporated it into their agency. I suggest that by scrutinizing the dynamics that have contributed to the process of the Arctic region we can better understand the practical political difference that scientific knowledge on the Arctic makes. This highlights the political dimension of the construction of geographical scientific facts. Concurrently, my aim is to contribute to our understanding of regionalization processes by foregrounding the relevance of scientific practices in the social construction and transformation of regions. As a conclusion, I call on those involved in producing geographical scientific knowledge in general, and especially on the Arctic, to become more aware of the potentially far-reaching consequences that research in natural — but also social — sciences can have.