Critical geopolitical and natural tensions are manifest in Sápmi, where we are situated, and the broader northern regions. The high North has shifted – and is still shifting – from being perceived as a peripheral region to being central in contemporary discourse, particularly in terms of military activity, geopolitics, legal uncertainty, resource extraction, colonialism, and climate change. These changes and conflicts manifest across many levels and scales, from the individual body to the local, regional, national, and planetary. Addressing these challenges can only be addressed by an integration across disciplines, including the arts and humanities. A UArctic Thematic Network in the Environmental Humanities, grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration, can engage more fully with issues pertaining to social, ecological, climatic, legal, cultural, and decolonial contexts.

The Thematic Network has three initial strands:

1. Indigenous, decolonial, gender, and feminist perspectives in interdisciplinary collaboration
2. Transdisciplinary methodologies, sustainability, and planetary health
3. Care, creativity, and communication as contribution to peace in the Arctic