From February 19th to 23rd, researchers and scholars participating in the ArcHeritage project convened in Groningen, Netherlands, for an intensive workshop focused on the intersections of commodification, identity, and revitalisation in the Anthropocene. Hosted by the Arctic Centre, the workshop facilitated dynamic discussions on ongoing research, emerging findings, and future collaborations. Several participants joined online, and we had the opportunity to listen to other projects at the Arctic Centre. The TRACES project led by Dr. Sean Desjardins presented on Digitalisation and Food Security.
The program included visits to the University Museum, the Zooarchaeological Collection from the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA), and the Wereldmuseum, enriching perspectives on Arctic heritage and material culture.The workshop concluded with reflections on future research directions, collaborative opportunities, and plans for a joint publication. The diversity of perspectives and disciplines represented in the discussions highlighted the importance of cross-cultural dialogue and interdisciplinary approaches in Arctic heritage research.
Our themes were:
- Lavvos and other miniatures in the Hætta collection returning home by Gro Ween Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Museum of Cultural History in Norway.
- A longer story about three tents by David Anderson Professor of Anthropology at the University of Aberdeen
- Inside the circle outside the frame: fieldwork by Maria Nordvall PhD researcher at the University of Aberdeen
- Council of the Ravel: Hands-on Exhibition for Climate Heroes, Arctic exhibition at the Wereldmuseum by Cunera Buijs. Curator of the Arctic collection at the Wereldmuseum.
- Two Stories of Regulating Relations through Reindeer - Preliminary fieldwork findings by Tommy Ose. Postdoctoral researcher at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT)
- Antlers, Organs, and Spirits: Ontological Frictions and the Biopolitics of Reindeer Parts in Northeast China byRichard Fraser. Associate Professor within the Department of Social Sciences at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT)
- Arctic Ivory as a Commodity by Maarten Loonen. Associate Professor Arctic and Antarctic Science, University of Groningen (RUG).
- Contemporary Ivory Trade in Canada: the advantages and disadvantages for Arctic Indigenous communities in Nunavut & Fieldwork by Emily Ruiz Puerta. Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Groningen (RUG)
- Inuit belongings, digital remediation, and knowledge as relationship: Reflections towards a digitisation workshop with Elders and students from Nunavut by Jonathan Spellerberg. PhD candidate, TRACES project, University of Groningen (RUG)
- Food Security and Environmental Change: The Role of Subsistence Harvesting in Inuit WellbeingFood Security and Environmental Change: The Role of Subsistence Harvesting in Inuit WellbeingFood Security and Environmental Change: The Role of Subsistence Harvesting in Inuit Wellbeing byOlga Ievleva. PhD candidate, TRACES project, University of Groningen (RUG)
