British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Peoples of the Circumpolar North: Contributions from Social Science and the Humanities

Convened by the British Academy and organised as part of the British Association for the Advancement of Science's 2008 Festival of Science, hosted by the University of Liverpool

9.30am - 11.30am, Monday 8 September 2008

Chair and convenor: Tim Ingold, FBA, FRSE, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Aberdeen

Speakers: Dr Richard Powell (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool)
Dr Nancy Wachowich (Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen)
Dr Kathryn Yusoff (Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Exeter)

The current International Polar Year has seen a massive concentration of research in the arctic and sub-arctic. Largely driven by concerns over climate change, this effort has been overwhelmingly in the natural sciences. Research by scholars in the humanities and social sciences, however, reveals the creative ways in which northern peoples are responding to environmental challenges and casts a critical light on the policies and practices of polar science itself. In showcasing this work, this panel discussion will consider its potential contribution both to the wellbeing of inhabitants of the North and to shaping the agendas of natural scientific research.

The policies and practices of natural scientific research in the northern circumpolar regions have paid scant regard for the interests of the people who live there. In addressing the public policy implications of developments in science and technology, the panel discussion will consider how research in the humanities and social sciences can help reconcile the agendas of polar science with the social, cultural and historical concerns of northern circumpolar peoples.

For further information and details of how to book please see: http://www1.the-ba.net/bafos/events/showevent.asp?EventID=127

This event will be held in the Brunner Lecture Theatre, Donnan Building, University of Liverpool. Location details regarding the University of Liverpool's facilities are available from:http://www.liv.ac.uk/maps/