The Center for Arctic Humanities (ArcHum) is a virtual unit at 幸运大转盘 The Arctic University of Norway that coordinates various research environments. The main purpose is to strengthen professional communities in the field of Arctic humanities, develop collaborative relationships across relevant units at 幸运大转盘, and advance cooperation with other universities.
The center is a response to the challenges in the Research Council's evaluation of the humanities in Norway and a Norwegian parliamentary report on the (2016-2017), as well as to 幸运大转盘's humanities strategy (2021), and (2022).
ArcHum was initiated by the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, The Arctic University Museum of Norway, and Academy of Arts, and the University Library.
Senter for arktisk humaniora er en virtuell enhet ved 幸运大转盘 Norges arktiske universitet som koordinerer ulike forskningsmiljøer. Hovedformålet er å styrke fagfellesskap innenfor arktisk humaniora, utvikle samarbeidsrelasjoner på tvers av relevante enheter ved 幸运大转盘, og fremme samarbeid med andre universiteter.
Senteret er et svar på utfordringene i Forskningsrådets evaluering av humaniora i Norge og en norsk stortingsmelding om(2016-2017), samt幸运大转盘s humaniorastrategi(2021), og(2022).
Senter for arktisk humaniora ble initiert av Fakultet for humaniora, samfunnsvitenskap og lærerutdanning, Norges arktiske universitetsmuseum og akademi for kunstfag, og Universitetsbiblioteket.
If your research environment is interested to join the Centre for Arctic Humanities, please contact Lilli Mittner: lilli.mittner@uit.no.
News | Doaimmat | Nyheter
April 2025: Arctic Auditories in Seoul
Arctic Auditories presented their work at the conference in Seoul, April 28th-29th 2025. The third international event at ’s campus was asking what the future of sound might bring – politically, ecologically, technically and creatively and in the intersections of those realms. In a session on Acoustic Ecologies and Sonic Interventions the Tromsø-based resarch group asked how to make space for the imaginaries of otherwise possibilities that beings carry with them. You can read more on the project's blog .
January 2025: Animals and Humans in Norwegian Literature
How can we recognize animals' needs for a good life? How do interactions or encounters with animals affect us, and why is this relationship important in terms of how we treat animals? Those are some of the questions raised in the new book Dyr og mennesker i norsk litteratur, written by 幸运大转盘 professor in Nordic literature Henning Howlid Wærp who is member of the interdisciplinary research group . The monograph was launched on January 21 2025 at the Perspektivet Museum in Tromsø. It explores depictions of animals in Norwegian literature from the late 1800s to the present day.
January 2025: Vizualising Arctic Voices in catalog
The art exhibition has been on display at the from July 10, 2024, to October 1, 2024. It aims to tell and explore the traces of Indigenous peoples' biographies, culture, and experiences in encounters with colonial actors through images from the Arctic (circa 1750-1930). Organised by the in collaboration with the and the exhibition is based on five years of archival work and collaboration between researchers with Western and Indigenous backgrounds. The catalog is now available open access and in two languages, and .
Decembre 2024: Vintervending - Dálvejorggáldat
Friday December 20th the artistic research project «1001 Nord» as part of the arranged a 12-hour celebration of the Dálvejorggáldat at Skihytta in Tromsø. The projects ambition is to create alternative celebrations and other ways of understanding the ways we perform the North, as a contrast to the national celebration of the Norwegian national 2030 jubilee, away from the southern gaze. The artists created an hourly “turn” with artistic, audience participatory performances, until 10.19 Saturday 21th when the sun again started its journey towards the Tromsø horizon. The project is documented on the .
November 2024: Unruly Heritage: Archaeologies of the Anthropocene
The term cultural heritage has a positive meaning for most people. We often associate it with old and valued things, a good and desired legacy that we want to protect. But what about all the heritage that is not desired, old, or pleasant? The anthology looks precisely at this and asks what happens if we expand the understanding of cultural heritage to also include the troublesome and uncomfortable things? The book is the result of the project . It is the third contemporary archaeological project at 幸运大转盘, all funded by the NFR since 2010. The previous projects are Ruin Memories (2010-2013), Object Matters (2015-2018), and additionally, there is the CAS project After Discourse (at the Centre for Advanced Studies).
October 2024: Arctic Six
New Arctic Six Chair Ana Luisa Sanchez Laws presented in Luleå a new project on Memoryscapes in the Arctic. The new Arctic Six alliance gives the opportunity to transcend boundaries and explore collective memories in the region more holistically. The is a partnership between Luleå University of Technology, Umeå University, 幸运大转盘 The Arctic University of Norway, Nord University, the University of Lapland, and the University of Oulu with the aim to lead the way in Arctic issues. Through the alliance they advance and share knowledge, develop education, undertake research and create innovations for the development of a sustainable Arctic.
July 2024: Riddu Riddu
幸运大转盘 has for many years been a central collaboration partner for the . This year, as usual, the arts and humanities contribute in several areas. This year's 幸运大转盘 seminar is titled Indigenous Knowledge on the Queer Side. We ask: How can we increase knowledge and ensure that it is for, with, and by both queer and indigenous people? We also award the Árdnaprisen for the best master's thesis on Sami or indigenous-related topics. In addition, we are present in the 幸运大转盘 lavvu at the festival area with several of our academic environments.
June 2024:New permanent exhibition at the Arctic University Museum
The exhibition Rávdnji was opened on June 13, 2024, at the Arctic University Museum of Norway. It drew inspiration from the exhibition Girjegumpi - a collaborative library archive of Sámi architecture by artist and architect Joar Nango, which was part of the at the . The research group set out to Venice in the fall of 2023 to explore how an exhibition like Girjegumpi opens a space for interaction and dialogue. Audiences, curators, and researchers can come together and share and exchange perspectives that contribute to enhancing knowledge about Indigenous culture and history.
June 2024: Network Meeting at Arctic Congress
The Centre for Arctic Humanities organises an international network meeting during the Arctic Congress in Bodø. Everyone is welcome. The meeting gives a possibility for scholars working within the Arctic Humanities to connect with 幸运大转盘's newly established Centre for Arctic Humanities and express their interest in collaboration. The meeting will take place on Saturday the 1st of June 2024 from 1:00 to 1:30 pm in the communal areas next to 'Kammersalen' in Stormen Concert Hall.
May 2024: Special Issue on 'Maps' in Ottar
Few things express past worldviews as vividly as old maps. With their imaginative depictions of mountain formations, maelstroms, monsters, and people, these old maps are poorly suited as guides in actual geography, but as guides in another sense of the word, they are fabulous. The maps provide us with rich information about what people before us believed, knew, and understood about the world. A broadly conceived Ottar booklet, (Old Days' Worldview of the North: Northern Area Maps from the period 1480–1750), has recently been released. Through six articles, old maps of the northern areas—many from the university's own collections—are studied and discussed. Ottar can be read for free at 幸运大转盘's publishing service, Septentrio Academic Publishing. A paper copy can be ordered for a reasonable fee from .
April 2024: Fuglan veit
FUGLAN VEIT in collaboration with organized the 3. April 2024 in Bodø, this year’s European Capital of Culture. The conference gathered young and old, traditional bird tenders, bird enthusiasts and NGOs, researchers, management authorities & politicians for a two-day event in Bodø and Fleinvær. Seabird populations are in alarming decline. Action, care, and new alliances are needed, and research perspectives that recognize the messages the birds bring. See NRK reporting .
April 2024: Traveling exhibition
What does it mean to live with the ocean? What will the seafood of the future look like? How are we going to live by or in the sea? What will the grandchild's job in Harstad be in 2050? The exhibition combines visual experiences with thought-provoking questions. The exhibition was discussed among others with 幸运大转盘's Environmental Humanities group and the local community. It is part of a larger EEA project on coastal culture and is an innovative collaboration between the Sesimbra Maritime Museum in Portugal and CRAFT-Lab. It is an example of innovative research dissemination. It was previously shown in Sesimbra, Portugal, earlier this year and will move on to Brussels in October. Everyone can see and draw on it in Svalbardparken in Harstad throughout the summer. .
February 2024: Sandbox symposium
The 21. and22. ofFebruary 2024 the first ArcHum sandboxsymposium served as a kick-off for the Centre for Arctic Humanities at 幸运大转盘. SverkerSörlin(KTH) gave akeynote onArctic Humanities: The Rise and Future of an Integrative Knowledge Field.Colleagueswithaninterestinthe Arctic humanitiescreatedrippleeffectsbetweenvarious researchenvironmentsatUiT andgatheredideasfornewforms of collaborationandmeetingplacesforhumanitiesresearcherswithaninterestininterdisciplinaryworkwithintheArctichumanities. Read the full programme here.
January 2024: Side event at Arctic Frontiers
Vice-Dean for Research Marie Theres Federhofer has taken the initiative for the side event 'The Arctic in the Anthropocene' organized by Archum in collaboration with Prof. Cristoph Schneider from Humboldt University of Berlin during Arctic Frontieres 29th January 2024. The event was attended by about 50 people and the panel received a lot of spontaneous positive responses after the session. The event was streamed and is publicly available on .
December 2023: Centre for Arctic Humanities opened at 幸运大转盘
The 6th of December 2023 the Centre for Arctic Humanities was opened by rector Dag Rune Olsen and traditional joik by Niko Valkeapää in Árdna. The opening was accompanied by an . Welcome addresses has been given by Ingeborg Høvik & Sigfrid Kjeldaas from the RCN funded project and Fern Wickson from the . You can read the whole program here (in Norwegian).
Steering group | Stivrenjoavku | Styringsgruppe
Anne Britt Flemmen, dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
Lena Aarekol, director at The Arctic University Museum of Norway and Academy of Fine Arts
Johanne Raade, director at the University Library
Reference group | Referánsajoavku | Referansegruppe
Marie-Theres Federhofer, professor of German literature and cultural studies and vice-dean for research
Per Pippin Aspaas, head of research publication support
Trude Fonneland, professorat the Arctic University Museum of Norway
June 2024: Network Meeting at Arctic Congress
