Conclusion: Anthropocene Arctic—Reductionist Imaginaries of a “New North”

Abstract

This concluding chapter argues that in recent times Arctic historiography has turned to the writing of “future histories” of the Arctic. Arctic historiography has undergone a naturalizing turn and tipped heavily towards observations of contemporary trends in climate change and the ambition to develop minerals and fossil fuel resources. This has not only led to an under-articulation of empirically based professional histories; it has privileged narratives and temporalizations that are loyal to a deterministic and developmentalist view of the region with little or no view to political options or reflexive approaches. Furthermore, it has been largely based on commercial and industrial prospects rather than the experiences of local communities. The chapter discusses this “New North reductionism” in Arctic historiography critically as yet another phase in the appropriation of Arctic futures.