The Social Construction of the New Arctic

This paper examines the New Arctic domain as characterized by climate change-induced geophysical and ecological transformations. It traces the evolution of historical representations of the region “Southern” peoples began to explore and exploit the Far North and come into contact with its indigenous inhabitants. Different sources of knowledge production about the polar zone merged and contrasted throughout the modern period, but the effects of global warming have thrown these social constructions into upheaval. The paper describes how the melting ice cap triggers reverberations throughout the Arctic domain, and how a new set of metaphors (“victim,” “test case,” “gold rush,” “strategic arena,” and “pivot area”) is emerging in the popular consciousness to combat the disorientation of major regional transformation. The final section surveys and evaluates these metaphors for what they capture and overlook about the Arctic material context to generate insights about their probable narrative durability and influence on politics.