ColdScience
ArcticscienceinNorthAmerica
duringtheColdWar,1945-1991
Workshop
SchoolfortheStudyofCanada/TrentSchooloftheEnvironment
BagnaniHall,TraillCollege
TrentUniversity
29-30April2016
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Overview
OurworkshopbringstogetherscholarsfromavarietyofdisciplinestodiscussthehistoryofArcticscience
during the Cold War. Its focus is on North America (including Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland),
whilealsopursuingopportunitiesforcomparisonwithotherregionsinthecircumpolarnorth.
ThetimeisrighttoconsiderthehistoryofColdWarArcticscience.Climatechange(includingthepartial
melting of the polar ice cap), resource developments, territorial disputes (and accompanying military
activities),andtheassertionofIndigenousrightsandidentities,haveallsparkedinterestinArcticscience,
among both academics and the public. Much of this interest can be traced back to the Cold War era.
HistoriansofsciencehavedescribedhowscientificactivitywasanessentialfeatureofColdWardomestic
and international affairs. Much of this activity was pursued in the Arctic – the frontier between the
superpowers – where it responded to strategic concerns, supported resource development, and
addressed scientific questions. The research presented at our workshop will contribute to a better
understandingofboththehistoryoftheColdWarandthehistoryofArcticscience.
ThisworkshopbringstogethermorethanthirtyofthemostprominentexpertsonthehistoryofArctic
science, from Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
WorkshoppanelscoverseveralessentialaspectsofthehistoryofColdWarArcticscience,includingthe
earlyColdWarera,theimplicationsofresourcedevelopmentforscience,therelationsbetweenscience
and military activity and between science and environmental concerns, the role of the body in Arctic
science,therelationsbetweenscienceandIndigenousknowledgeandbetweenscienceandterritory,and
theformationofscientificnetworks.Theworkshopwillpayparticularattentiontothehistoryofscience
andofIndigenousknowledge–linkingtworesearchcommunitiestoooftenkeptseparate.
Keynoteaddress:TellingStories–Conflict,CooperationandMemoryinColdWarArcticScience
Prof.RonaldE.Doel(History,FloridaStateUniversity)
WhatdoweknowaboutrecentArcticscience,whatdon’tweknow,and
whydoesitmatter?ThestorieswemighttellaboutArcticScienceafter
World War II are many. One narrative involves national security. Both
theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionacceptedthepolarconcept—that
the next major superpower conflict was likely to take place at high
northern latitudes because of great circle routes binding them—and
intensifiedeffortstounderstandthephysicalenvironmentoftheArctic
early in the Cold War. Yet the Arctic was also a center stage for the
InternationalGeophysicalYearof1957-58,oftenconsideredthelargest
transnational scientific undertaking ever achieved and a high point of
Cold War détente. Understanding scientific field practices in the far
north(andtheproductionofknowledgeabouttheArctic)requiresusto
address all these stories head-on. A key question: are these stories in conflict, or a means to better
understand the complex history of the Cold War? Perhaps more important: how might we
simultaneouslyexploreethics,morality,andtranscendenttruthsinthefarnorth,whatthehistorianPeter
Harrison—critiquing recent claims about scientific knowledge—has termed “the dissociation of wisdom
andknowledge”?
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Program
29April2016
8:15-8:40
WorkshopRegistration
8:40-9:00
OpeningRemarks
NeilEmery(VicePresidentforResearch,TrentUniversity)
JamesConolly(Director,SchoolfortheStudyofCanada)
DanielHeidt(TrentUniversity)
StephenBocking(TrentUniversity)
9:00-10:00 Panel1:AnticipatingtheColdWar
Chair:JanetMartin-Nielsen(AarhusUniversity)
TinaAdcock(SimonFraserUniversity):How(not)toknowtheArctic:Thetrialsandtribulationsof
theArcticManual
DawnAlexandreaBerry(CornellUniversity):WaronIce:Science,AmericanForeignPolicy,and
Greenland(1916-1951)
RichardPowell(OxfordUniversity):CosmopolitanScienceinGreenland,1920-1940
10:00-10:15 CoffeeBreak
10:15-11:15 Panel2:ResourcesandColdWarScience
Chair:PeterKikkert(TrentUniversity)
RaficoRuiz(TrentUniversity):SaudiDreams:IcebergsinIowa
PederRobertsonbehalfofco-authorsDagAvangoandHannaVikström(KTHRoyalInstituteof
Technology):ScienceandContrastingVisionsofProsperityinNorthernCanadaandGreenland,
1945-1980
FikretBerkesonbehalfofco-authorDavidRosenberg(UniversityofManitoba):TheMid-Canada
LineandtheopeningupoftheCanadianSubarctic
11:15-11:30 RefreshmentBreak
11:30-12:30 Panel3:ScienceandtheMilitary
Chair:MatthewWiseman(WilfridLaurierUniversity)
HenrikKnudsen(DanishNationalArchives):RocketsoverThule?ThePoliticsofRocketsinColdWar
Greenland
MitchellPatterson(Queen’sUniversity):TraditionalSkills,Science,andSovereignty:Military
exercisesintheHighNorth
PeterKikkert(TrentUniversity)andP.WhitneyLackenbauer(St.Jerome’sUniversity):CleaningUp
theColdWar:Science,InuitStewardship,andtheRemediationoftheDistantEarlyWarning
(DEW)Line
12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:00
Panel4:ScienceandEnvironmentalAnxieties
Chair:VictoriaHerrmann(SPRI)
HeatherNicol(TrentUniversity):Canada'sNorthandthe"NaturalNews"
AndrewStuhl(BucknellUniversity):ScienceIncarnate:JohnC.Reed,MaxBrewer,andtheMoral
DilemmasoftheColdWarArctic
StephenBocking(TrentUniversity):Energy,Science,andtheArcticEnvironment:TheFormationof
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anIndustry/GovernmentCompact
3:00-3:30
RefreshmentBreak
3:30-4:30
Panel5:ScienceandtheBody
Chair: TessLanzarotta(YaleUniversity)
MatthewFarish(UniversityofToronto):SurvivalGeography:TheHumanSciencesintheColdWar
Arctic,andBeyond
MatthewWiseman:(WilfridLaurierUniversity):FrontierFootage:'GoingNorth'andtheFilmingof
ArcticMilitaryScienceinCanada,1947-1950
SverkerSörlin(KTHRoyalInstituteofTechnology):TheScienceofFiber,Food,andFatigueinthe
ColdField
4:30-5:00
Break
5:00-6:00
KeynoteAddress:RonaldDoel(FloridaStateUniversity):TellingStories–Conflict,
CooperationandMemoryinColdWarArcticScience
7:00-9:30DINNER
CanadianCanoeMuseum:910MonaghanRoad,Peterborough.Transportationprovided.
30April2016
9:00-10:00 Panel6:ScienceandIndigenousPeoples Chair:MitchellPatterson(Queen'sUniversity)
PatriciaCochran(AlaskaNativeScienceCommission):LegacyoftheColdWar:IndigenousPeoples
andNativeScience
TinaLoo(UniversityofBritishColumbia):PoliticalAnimals:BarrenGroundCaribouandtheir
Managersina‘Post-Normal’Age
TessLanzarotta(YaleUniversity):MeltingtheIceCurtain:IndigeneityandtheAlaska-Siberia
MedicalResearchProgramintheEraofGlasnost
10:00-10:30 RefreshmentBreak
10:30-11:30 Panel7:Science,TerritoryandAuthority
Chair:RaficoRuiz(TrentUniversity)
JanetMartin-Nielsenonbehalfofco-authorMatthiasHeymann(AarhusUniversity):Power,
KnowledgeandTerritory:PerformingSovereigntyinGreenland
DanielHeidt(TrentUniversity)andP.WhitneyLackenbauer(St.Jerome’sUniversity):TheAdvisory
CommitteeonNorthernDevelopment(ACND)andArcticScience,1948-67
VictoriaHerrmann(ScottPolarResearchInstitute,UniversityofCambridge):Alaska’sColdWar
Tensions:Internationalism,Nationalism,andtheTransformationofPlace
11:30-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:00
Panel8:NetworksofScience
Chair:ShelaghGrant(TrentUniversity)
PederRoberts(KTHRoyalInstituteofTechnology)andLize-MariévanderWatt(UmeåUniversity):
TheArcticInstituteofNorthAmerica’sEarlyYears,1942-1964
JuliaLajus(EuropeanUniversityatSt.Petersburg):Soviet-NorthAmericanscientificnetworksand
distortedcirculationofknowledgeabouttheArcticthroughtheIronCurtain
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MichaelBravo(ScottPolarResearchInstitute,CambridgeUniversity):Circumpolarhuman
adaptabilityscienceanditsglobalnetworks(1960-1980)
2:00-2:30
RefreshmentBreak
2:30-4:00: ReflectionsandDiscussion
MarkNuttall(UniversityofAlberta),ChristopherFurgal(TrentUniversity):Reflections
Generaldiscussion
4:00-4:15
ClosingRemarks
StephenBocking&DanielHeidt(TrentUniversity)
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ListofAttendeesandContributors
Name
Adock,Tina
Avango,Dag
Berkes,Fikret
Berry,DawnAlexandrea
Bocking,Stephen
Bravo,Michael
Cochran,Patricia
Doel,Ronald
Farish,Matthew
Furgal,Christopher
Grant,Shelagh
Heidt,Daniel
Herrmann,Victoria
Kikkert,Peter
Knudsen,Henrik
Lackenbauer,P.Whitney
Lajus,Julia
Lanzarotta,Tess
Loo,Tina
Martin-Nielsen,Janet
Nicol,Heather
Nuttall,Mark
Page,Bob
Patterson,Mitchell
Powell,Richard
Roberts,Peder
Rosenberg,David
Ruiz,Rafico
Sörlin,Sverker
Stuhl,Andrew
vanderWatt,Lize-Marié
Vikström,Hanna
Wiseman,Matthew
Affiliation
SimonFraserUniversity
KTHRoyalInstituteof
Technology
UniversityofManitoba
CornellUniversity
TrentUniversity
SPRI/CambridgeUniversity
AlaskaNativeScience
Commission
FloridaStateUniversity
UniversityofToronto
TrentUniversity
TrentUniversity
TrentUniversity
SPRI/CambridgeUniversity
TrentUniversity
DanishNationalArchives
St.Jerome’sUniversity
EuropeanUniversity@St.
Petersburg
YaleUniversity
UniversityofBritishColumbia
AarhusUniversity
TrentUniversity
UniversityofAlberta
UniversityofCalgary
Queen’sUniversity
OxfordUniversity
KTHRoyalInstituteof
Technology
UniversityofManitoba
TrentUniversity
KTHRoyalInstituteof
Technology
BucknellUniversity
UmeåUniversity
KTHRoyalInstituteof
Technology
WilfridLaurierUniversity
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Email
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
TravelandLogisticalInformation
The workshop will be held at
Bagnani Hall, at Traill College and
the School for the Study of
Canada, Trent University. The
address is 299 Dublin Street,
Peterborough. Hotel reservations
for all participants who requested
them have been made at the
Holiday
Inn
PeterboroughWaterfront (see map on this
page). The distance between the
hotel and Bagnani Hall is short
enoughtowalk,buttaxiswillalso
beavailable.
Areminderthatalloutofprovince
participants are responsible for
arranging their own travel to and
from Toronto. We will be
arranging for shuttle services
between Toronto airport and
Peterborough.
Please also remember that all
participants are responsible for
submitting receipts and travel
documentationforreimbursement
once the workshop is complete.
We will require copies of all
receipts, the original airline or
traintickets,andboardingpasses.
The weather in Peterborough in
late April will likely be
comfortable, but perhaps a bit
cool,especiallyintheevening,withdaytimehighsofapproximately20°C,droppingtoperhaps10°Cat
night.
WelookforwardtowelcomingyoutoTrentUniversity!
Sincerely,
DanielHeidt([email protected])andStephenBocking([email protected])
WorkshopOrganizers
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Coverimagescourtesyof:LibraryandArchivesCanada(Winnipeg)
Thisworkshopissupportedby:
Department of Canadian Studies
Symons Trust
Vice President Research Strategic
Initiatives Fund