Unfreezing the Arctic: Science, Colonialism, and the Transformation of Inuit Lands

In recent years, environmentalists have pointed urgently to the melting Arctic as a leading indicator of climate change. While climate change has unleashed profound transformations in the region, many commentators mislabel them as unprecedented. In reality, the landscapes of the North American Arctic—as well as relations among scientists, Inuit, and federal governments— are products of the region’s colonial past. And even as policy analysts, activists, and scholars clamor about the future of our world’s northern rim, few truly understand its past.
In Unfreezing the Arctic, Andrew Stuhl brings a fresh perspective to this defining challenge of our time. Stuhl weaves together a wealth of episodes into a transnational history of the North American Arctic, providing a richer understanding of its social and environmental transformation. Drawing on historical records and extensive ethnographic fieldwork, as well as time spent living in the Northwest Territories, he examines the long-running interplay of scientific exploration, colonial control, the experiences of Inuit residents, and multinational investments in natural resources. With a comprehensive look at a century of scientific activity, he covers the political, economic, environmental, and social history of this transboundary region.