Historical Sites and Heritage in the Polar Regions

• The Polar Regions of today are marked by the imprints from thousands of years of human activities, from the first peoples who settled there in the distant past to those who arrived more recently – e.g. explorers, industrialists, militaries, scientists. This chapter gives an overview of the material historical remains of past human activities in the Arctic and Antarctic and explains under which circumstances they have been recognized as cultural heritage sites, i.e. remains which different actors for various reasons have defined, protected and managed as such. The chapter is divided into two main sections, the first presenting an overview of the archaeological record in the Arctic from 20 000 BCE until the 20th century, and in the Antarctic (including the Sub-Antarctic) from the 18th century until present days. The second section discusses how stakeholders in the Polar Regions have dealt with these archaeological sites. Under which circumstances do historical remains in the Polar Regions become heritage and why?The chapter shows that there is a wide variety of actors who work to protect historical remains as heritage and for different reasons – e.g. archaeologists and historians using them as sources for explaining historical change, state authorities for diversifying local economies and supporting local identity and tourism companies using them for creating new destinations. Thus the material legacies of the past in the polar areas should not only be understood as environmental problems but also as a potential resource for building sustainable futures.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Cultural heritage

Heritagization

Arctic

Antarctic

History

History of Science, Technology and Environment

Historiska studier av teknik, vetenskap och miljö

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kap (subject category)