Proposed Sessions

The Arctic being a specific territory remains home to many ethnic groups and cultures. The languages of indigenous population as well as official languages of Nordic countries are subject to the same global changes that characterize the world language landscape at large. Not only the languages of indigenous peoples are under the pressure of globalization processes but even official languages of Nordic countries strive to strengthen their status in competition with global Englishes. Nordic countries apply different strategies to secure native languages on their territories and promote the involvement of non-residents in learning and using Nordic languages. With regard to plurilinguals’ realities of Nordic countries it’s becoming urgent to discuss the current language landscape to ensure harmonious balance between existing languages and cultures and their sustainability. This section brings together a variety of studies that focus on the current situation in language policy, planning, sociolinguistics and language education in a cross-disciplinary perspective. Presentations can cover research and discussion of similar and differing trends within the field of multilingualism and multilingual education in the Nordic countries, taking into account both outside and inside perspectives. Talks related to indigenous peoples and their languages are also welcomed being an integral part of the Nordic language landscape. The goal is to showcase the specifics of Nordic multilingualism, which will potentially enhance our understanding of ongoing changes in the language landscape of the Arctic.

The session will discuss aspirations, ongoing progress, and outputs of two multilateral research projects financed by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research on Opportunities for and challenges to urban development and social cohesion in Russia's Arctic under climate change impacts (2018-2020) and , Building an optimal model of a human security system in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (2020 - 2022). Topical input from external to projects researchers is invited and most welcomed. The projects are focused on building a human security and sustainable development strategies for the Russian Arctic towns including smart city concept to mitigate numerous socio-economic and environmental challenges and threats in the age of climate change. The project results will contribute to the development of a strategic management system in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) on a number of levels (municipal, regional and national) as well as for international cooperation in the Arctic.

For thousands of years, permafrost has been a constant in most of the Arctic. Communities and lifeways have literally been built on the assumption that it would endure in perpetuity. Now, in response to recent warming trends, permafrost degradation and its numerous societal and environmental impacts are becoming widespread. Coastal bluffs eroding into the sea, roads like washboards or washed away, fill collapsing around pilings supporting public infrastructure, archaeological sites and cultural heritage thawing and rotting, and ice cellars thawing and flooding, are only some of the effects becoming commonplace across the Circumpolar North.

This session will bring together interdisciplinary research focused on changing permafrost and its impacts on people and landscapes as well as human resilience and adaptation in Arctic coastal permafrost areas. We seek to develop synergy between researchers interested in these topics and expand PerCS-Net (Permafrost Coastal Systems Network), a developing international network of researchers dealing with permafrost systems in transition. We welcome papers covering various aspects of these issues, from identifying new types of social and environmental disruption to monitoring to attempts at adaption. Contributions from community members and holders of Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge and researchers successfully engaging directly with Indigenous communities are particularly welcomed.

This session invites presentations that situate indigenous literatures of the Russian Far North within broader critical discourses on indigenous cultural expression. Informed by the concept of “survivance,” introduced in the 1990’s by Gerald Vizenor and now defined broadly as “active native presence” and “survival as resistance” (Allen, 2011) this session is dedicated to the analysis of late Soviet and post-Soviet indigenous texts, authors, readerships, and communities. Questions to be considered include: How does indigenous writing in Russia revisit, rewrite, or reimagine events from the recent or distant past? How do authors employ formal or stylistic innovations in their works? How do authors position themselves in terms of literary traditions and canons, both in Russian and indigenous languages? How do they shape public perceptions of indigeneity, both within Russia and internationally? How do authors engage with contemporary social and political issues facing indigenous communities?

This session focuses on research about inclusive practices and promoting students’ wellbeing. Education in the Arctic provides the students, in addition to the tools to function in the contemporary society, a strong identity that is founded on the respect of one’s Northern roots. However, the isolated communities and long distances hamper the possibilities to offer versatile educational services, as well as possibilities for further studies. Hence, the young are driven to move away from their home regions, thereby raising concerns how to prevail and strengthen the vigour of the Northern, as well as Indigenous, communities that have historically been marginalised. We ask, how and with what actions can inclusion and students’ wellbeing be promoted? What can inhibit or promote these actions’ development, and how can teacher education advance the progress?