Abstract

In what ways will Antarctica matter to humanity and how is its significance changing? In this seminar we invite a panel of humanities scholars to discuss their emerging research projects and agendas. Through the prism of their experience and expertise, we hope that this create an opportunity to reflect on the shifting Antarctic imaginaries. Unprecedented rates of atmospheric warming and melting ice are headline news, but so too are the growing industrial-scale numbers of visitors to the shores of the continent. With metaphors of an empty, pristine and inhospitable wilderness seemingly out of date, how can the humanities articulate the defining questions for the region in the twenty-first century?