Nov 22, 2024: Presentations by Peter Schweitzer and Olga Povoroznyuk at the AAA 2024 Annual Meeting

Peter Schweitzer and Olga Povoroznyuk will be presenting at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 20 – 23, 2024, in Tampa, USA. This year’s conference is centered around the theme Praxis, considering the present and future praxis of anthropology, the application of praxis in our communities, and praxis as collaborative work.

On Friday 22 November, from 12:45 pm to 2:15 pm (EDT), the two InfraNorth team members will contribute to the panel “Anthropological Perspectives on Climate Change and Infrastructure” (session 1584 – part 1), which focuses on the impact of climate change on Arctic infrastructure and sustainable infrastructure development in a shifting environment:

  • Peter Schweitzer will present “Climate Change and the Built Environment: Arctic Perspectives,” focusing on different forms of (transport) infrastructure in the North American, European and – to a lesser extent – the Russian Arctic. He will examine whether roads and other forms of infrastructure can enable sustainable livelihoods, or whether they are simply triggers and/or symptoms of environmental change.
  • Olga Povoroznyuk will present “Maritime Infrastructure: Global Climate Change and Connectivity in a Divided Arctic,” based on her ethnographic research on seaport expansions in Tiksi (Russia), Nome (USA), and Kirkenes (Norway). She will explore the social, cultural, and environmental impacts of maritime infrastructure while reflecting on the promises and threats these projects pose for Arctic coastal communities in a context of climate change and reconfiguring global connections.

In addition, on Wednesday 20 November, from 10:15 am to 11:45 am (EDT), Peter Schweitzer will be part of a round table on “Gender and Kinship in Deep Past: Unified Analysis in the 21st Century?”

The full program is available online here.

Cover of the Polar Geography journal.

Feb 2026: Article by Susan Vanek in Polar Geography Special Issue

The quarterly peer-reviewed journal Polar Geography has published the article “2200 meters: infrastructure, the future, and the politics of belonging in Greenland and the Arctic” by InfraNorth associate researcher Susan Vanek. The article examines Greenland’s airport expansion project, following its approval in 2015 by Naalakkersuisut (the Government of Greenland) as the largest investment in transportation […]

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography

Dec 2025: Article by Alexandra Meyer, Ria-Maria Adams and Sophie Elixhauser in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography

The Journal of Contemporary Ethnography has recently published the article “Lifelines and Gateways: The Relational Affordances of Arctic Airports” by InfraNorth researchers Alexandra Meyer, Ria-Maria Adams and Sophie Elixhauser. Airports are indispensable to life in the Arctic. Often shaped by geopolitical agendas and external economic interests, they provide vital links for local communities across remote […]

Dec 2025: Peter Schweitzer Interviewed on Austrian Public Radio Ö1

The Austrian public broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) featured InfraNorth principal investigator Peter Schweitzer in an interview on its Ö1 weekend feuilleton “Diagonal” on December 6, 2025, which focused on the politics of infrastructure. Schweitzer appeared in a segment titled “A Silk Road Across the Arctic” (in German: Seidenstrasse über die Arktis), interviewed by Erich Klein […]