Archives, memory and international law in the Arctic

The book explores how archives shape our understanding of Arctic history and Peoples. International Law and Displaced Archives in Arctic Countries examines questions about who controls historical records, how archives contribute to collective memory and nation-building, and what rights Indigenous Peoples have to access and manage records about their communities. The book draws on case studies from Iceland, Canada, Greenland and Sápmi. Rachael co-edited the volume alongside Professor James Lowry, City University of New York.

Living Archives and borders

Alongside original work by Rachael and James, the book contains chapters by Nansen Professor Romain Chuffart and philosophy professor Giorgio Baruchello.

Romain and Rachael consider the application of international law to displaced archives in the Arctic; Romain and Apostolos Tsiouvalas, (Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea, UiT), an alumnus of the Polar Law programme, discuss the 1929 Thule Law for Northwest Greenland as a living archive; and Romain also writes on borders as archives in Sápmi, the Saami homeland. Giorgio provides philosophical reflections on Jacques Derrida’s famous work, Archive Fever.

A chapter by Njörður Sigurðsson and Bjarni Már Magnússon discusses the „Danish delivery” - the return of historic Icelandic archives from Denmark to Iceland in 1928 – in the context of the Icelandic independence process.

Book launch on 30th October

International Law and Displaced Archives in Arctic Countries is the fifth volume of the Brill Studies in Polar Law series. It is the final output of the Nordforsk-funded project Decolonising Nordic Archives, led by Rachael, and reflects ongoing collaboration with the Arctic Archives subgroup of the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law.

The book is available through open access on the Brill website where you can also order hard copies.

A book launch will be held at the University of Akureyri on 30th October where the work will be presented and discussed. More information to follow.
Bókaútgáfunni verður fagnað með útgáfukynningu í Háskólanum á Akureyri 30. október, þar sem efni bókarinnar verður kynnt og rætt. Nánari upplýsingar verða birtar síðar.