Paikallisten elämäntyylit, alkuperäiskansojen kulttuurit? Kulttuuri ja sen kestävyydet arktisten valtioiden strategioissa

Hanna Lempinen, Lassi Kalevi Heininen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Contrary to mainstream political and academic debates, the cultural dimensions of sustainability and sus-tainable development have been prominent in political cooperation in the Arctic region already for decades under the auspices of the Arctic Council and its predecessor, the AEPS. This article takes an explicit focus on the contemporary articulations and understandings of culture and the cultural components of sustainability in the context of the Arctic region through an empirical analysis of the Arctic strategies of the eight Arctic Council member states – Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, and the United States. Our analysis of the eight Arctic strategies draws attention to four key themes structuring the discussion on culture in the context of the contemporary Arctic. We address the questions of 1) whose culture(s) are discussed; 2) which factors or developments are seen to form a threat to sustainability of these cultures; 3) why these cultures should be sustained and maintained; and 4) who maintains and sustains them and how. The empirical analysis reveals a significant bias towards focusing on indigenous cultures and their sustain-ability as well as the instrumental role assigned to culture as potentially bringing administrative, economic and reputational gains for the Arctic states. Meanwhile, for non-indigenous residents, there is no culture to be sustained, but new lifestyles brought on by large-scale economic development to be embraced instead.
Original languageFinnish
Pages (from-to)4-14
Number of pages11
JournalAlue ja ympäristö
Volume45
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2016
MoEC publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • arctic
  • culture
  • sustainability

Field of science

  • International political science

Citation for this output