BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:A Slippery Signifier: Sea Ice in the Norwegian National Imaginary 
 - Philip Steinberg (Durham University)
DTSTART:20250311T163000Z
DTEND:20250311T180000Z
UID:TALK222910@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:48016
DESCRIPTION:As global temperatures continue to rise\, Arctic sea ice cover
 age is melting at alarming rates. The absence of sea ice will irrevocably 
 alter how global networks\, trade routes\, and extractive processes are fo
 rmed and understood. While sea ice is rarely found in Norwegian waters\, t
 he country has a prolonged history of incorporating the character\, challe
 nges\, and futurity of sea ice into its national imaginary. From historica
 lly regarding sea ice as a space to test heroic masculine bravery\, to the
  geographical and economic positioning and management of the Marginal Ice 
 Zone (MIZ) or iskanten\, and the normalisation of sea ice through the comm
 odification of icy waters\, Norwegian sea ice has been framed as a site of
  opportunity. The retreating ice edge thereby signifies the multitude of p
 olitical and environmental realities faced by sea ice’s dynamism. This p
 aper tells the story of the evolving incorporation of (absent) sea ice int
 o Norway’s national mythos. Through its material presence within Norwegi
 an territories such as Svalbard\, sea ice is increasingly elusive despite 
 its persistent oceanic presence. Shifting from a linear narrative of sea i
 ce’s role within the territorial\, marine\, and ideological space of the
  Norwegian nation\, this paper complicates this normalised progression and
  instead suggests a slippery return to the older (nationalising) tropes of
  frozen seas.
LOCATION:Scott Polar Research Institute\, Lecture Theatre
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR