Arctic Archives - Ice, Memory, and Entropy

This pioneering volume explores the Arctic as an endangered archive of knowledge about natural and human history, focusing on the environmental conditions of ice and permafrost that have allowed a huge natural archive to emerge. It brings together literary scholars, historians, philosophers, art historians, media theorists, and archivists to examine the debate on the notion of (natural) archive and the cultural semantics and historicity of concepts like warm, cold, freezing, and melting.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 350 pages
Publication date: 08 December 2021
Publisher: Transcript Verlag

This groundbreaking volume delves into the Arctic as a vital and exceedingly endangered repository of knowledge, encompassing both the natural and human histories of the Anthropocene era. By centering our exploration on the Arctic as an archive, we aim to examine it not solely as a site of human history and memory, encompassing Arctic expeditions, conquests, and colonization, but also to consider the unique environmental conditions of the circumpolar region, namely ice and permafrost. These conditions have facilitated the emergence of a vast natural archive, providing invaluable resources for natural scientists and historians alike.

In order to delve into the debate surrounding the concept of (natural) archive, this volume explores the cultural semantics and historicity of terms such as warm, cold, freezing, and melting, as well as a range of literary, artistic, and scientific works that pertain to Arctic topics. By bringing together literary scholars, historians of knowledge, philosophy, art historians, media theorists, and archivologists, this volume aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the Arctic as an archive and its profound implications for our understanding of the past, present, and future.

Weight: 666g
Dimension: 226 x 147 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783837646566