Territorial nationalism and Arctic geopolitics: Iceland as an Arctic coastal state
This paper explores the cultural and political significance of being acknowledged and recognized as an “Arctic coastal state”. Using Iceland as a case study, we consider how coastal state status had grown in significance as the Arctic Ocean has been re-imagined more as a polar Mediterranean and less as a frozen desert. By drawing on Michael Billig’s work on banal nationalism and popular geopolitics, the manner in which the ideas and practices associated with a “coastal state” are reproduced in elite and everyday contexts. However, we conclude by noting that thus far this appeal to Iceland as “coastal state” has gained greater traction within the Icelandic Foreign Ministry and Parliament, and it remains to be seen whether it will have a more popular resonance with Icelandic citizens. Whatever the future, it is a timely reminder that terms such as “coastal state” are caught up in national and even circumpolar identity projects.
The rise of Asia in a changing Arctic: a view from Iceland
Due to both the environmental impacts and the economic opportunities brought about by climate change, interest in the Arctic is rising in Asia. While there is a growing scholarship analyzing Asian interest in the Arctic, Iceland's reception to this interest has been under-studied. This paper explores Iceland's rising interest in the Arctic and its linked response to growing Chinese overtures toward Iceland and the region. Data were gathered from peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, popular media articles, participant observation at the Arctic Circle conference, and semi-structured interviews from October to December 2013 with a cross-section of Iceland's political, economic, and scientific elite. Results indicate that Iceland is trying to capitalize on the increasing global visibility and economic opportunities in the Arctic while working to ensure regional geopolitical and environmental stability. While Iceland generally welcomes Chinese overtures into Arctic political and scientific spheres, the response to economic overtures is more nuanced. Specifically, Iceland is trying to balance a desire for economic gains, Chinese investment in Icelandic industries, and an associated ability to ‘scale up’ economically with a perceived vulnerability to being dominated by a country which dwarfs Iceland in both size, power, and influence.
Dead Geographies—And How to Make Them Live
In this introductory paper—which follows the course of the papers included in this special issue—we argue that there are currently four main apprehensions of performance. The first of those apprehensions is provided by the work of Judith Butler on performativity. We then move to a second apprehension—the rather more general notion of performance found in nonrepresentational theory, using as an example the work of Gilles Deleuze. The third apprehension of performance is that taken from work found in the discipline of performance itself. Then, the fourth apprehension concerns the reworking of academic practices as performative.