Abstract
In the early postwar period, as the Arctic gained in geopolitical importance, Canadian officials began investing heavily in northern research. Viewed as a way to strengthen northern programming at Canadian universities while also 鈥渟howing the flag鈥 in the north, Arctic research was promoted as a means to harmonize academic research with the government鈥檚 nascent vision for northern development. As this vision came into focus, however, fractures formed between researchers and government officials. These fractures were especially pronounced with respect to social research and studies of Indigenous northerners. After promising beginnings in the mid-1950s, social researchers soon began clashing with policymakers over how to assess and name the 鈥渉uman problems鈥 identified by government officials. As a result, social researchers were gradually isolated from policy-making circles before their funding was cut completely.
In this talk, I trace the multiple tensions between social science research and Canada鈥檚 evolving vision for northern development. Focusing on government-sponsored social science, and social anthropology in particular, I highlight how competing characterizations of Indigenous northerners exposed the interpersonal and ideological politics of the state at a pivotal period in Canada鈥檚 relations with Indigenous peoples.
Bio
Mark Stoller is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Planning who researches histories of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. In Nunavut, he leads the ongoing Hivumuuniaqtugut Oral History Project, a youth-oriented oral history program, in partnership with the Nattilik Heritage Centre in Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven. Research topics include Indigenous youth identity, the uses of digital media as a means of intergenerational knowledge transmission, northern treaties and land claims, and Arctic social science. His research on the history of the division of the Northwest Territories is the subject of a forthcoming book with McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press.
