Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America

by Shelagh D. Grant

Winner of the 2011 Lionel Gelber Prize
Winner of the 2011 J. W. Dafoe Book Prize
Nominated for the 2010 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize
Nominated for the 2011 Sir John A. Macdonald Prize
Nominated for the Lela Common Book Prize for Canadian History

Based on Shelagh Grant's years of groundbreaking archival research and drawing on her reputation as a leading historian in the field, Polar Imperative is a compelling overview of the historical claims of sovereignty over the polar regions of North America. It examines the unfolding implications of major climate changes, the impact of resource exploitation on the indigenous peoples, and the current state of play in a high-stakes game for control over the adjacent waters of Alaska, Arctic Canada and Greenland. Engaging, thoroughly researched and timely, this book will redefine North Americans' understanding of the Arctic in terms of sovereign rights and responsibilities.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, American History

560 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2010

About the author

Shelagh Grant is the author of the award winning book, Arctic Justice: On Trial for Murder, Pond Inlet – 1923 (MQUP, 2002). An adjunct professor in the Canadian Studies Program at Trent University, she is now retired from regular teaching but gives guest lectures and supervises the occasional graduate student. Previous publications include a book on government policy in the Canadian North during the war and post war years, titled Sovereignty or Security? (UBC Press 1988), as well as numerous scholarly articles on Arctic related topics, such as sovereignty and environmental issues, historiography, and Inuit oral history. More recently, she supervised a translation into Inuktitut of her yet unpublished 400 page manuscript “Mittimatalik-Pond Inlet: A History,” donating the copyright for the Inuktitut version to the Baffin Island Teacher’s Learning Centre for use in their schools. The Inuktitut book was published in the summer of 2008.

Shelagh has presented numerous papers at home and abroad, including international conferences such as: the Northern Research Forum in Akureyri, Iceland (2000); the Circumpolar Universities Conferences in Aberdeen, Scotland (2000) and Tyumen, Siberia (1991); the International Congress on the History of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Regions in Reykjavik, Iceland (1998); and the Canadian Studies Conference in Brisbane, Australia (1986). She has traveled extensively throughout the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, including visits to the U.S. Air Base at Thule and the Danish Research Centres at Meistervig and Station Nord.

In 1997 she became the first historian and first woman to receive the Northern Science Award sponsored by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. She has sat on a number of editorial boards, been actively involved in the adjudication of northern scholarships and acted in various advisory capacities with regard to Inuit policies. Aside from history, other interests include northern education, Inuit culture and environmental issues.

Shelagh is a white water canoeist, wilderness canoe tripper, both downhill and cross-country skier, long time spouse of Jon K. Grant, a mother of three, and grandmother of five “grandkids.”

Reviews

[David James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid, well written and well researched history of how sovereignty issues have evolved in the North American Arctic. Grant follows human occupation of the region from its first inhabitants all the way into the modern era. There is good coverage of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but the bulk of the book focuses on the 20th century when World War Two, the Cold War, oil development, and Native claims all brought the Arctic to the forefront of many international issues. Then she looks to the future and sees climate change as bringing new challenges. A few national boundaries remain somewhat disputed, including Alaska's sea boundary with Canada in the Beaufort Sea, and its maritime border with Russia in the Bering Sea. The status of the Northwest Passage, which Canada views as an internal holding and the US and many other nations consider an international waterway gets considerable examination here. With the Arctic Ocean melting, there will be mounting pressure as various business, governmental, environmental, and Native interests compete to determine the region's future. These are issues that will make headlines in coming years, and Grant has done a fine job of putting them in their historical context, and of exploring the many nuances that complicate their resolution

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long labour of love, this book. Historically nuanced and rich with feeling for the sovereignty debates that have motivated much policy and politics around the region, Grant is a good guide to the area. She is also attuned to indigenous rights and political history, although still a colonialist historian. I'm couldn't shake the bloodless narrative tone, however, which dogged the text and extended my reading time. Some chapters were a drag. Others, more rare and thus precious, glimmered with a depth of care and passion. Give it a whirl,if only for the effort involved in the composition of this well meaning history.

[Don Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the issue of Arctic sovereignty, especially from the North American/Canadian perspective. Very detailed and well worth the read. Because it was published in 2010, the last chapter is a bit dated, but the history of the subject is compelling.

[Elijah Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive review of North American Arctic History and Sovereignty. This book covers the Canadian territories, Greenland & Alaska's arctic history. From the early migrations of Inuit to the changes in land ownership, World War II settlements and today's challenges. One quote that stuck with me was:
"Once the Greenland settlements were no longer valued as a major source of revenue, they were neglected and then abandoned. Centuries Later, when Russian settlements in Alaska were no longer profitable, they were sold.
Should a similar situation arise today, would the Arctic countries still have sufficient incentive to support and protect their northern hinterlands? Times have changed, but have motivations driving government actions changed with them?"

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical overview into the politics of Arctic sovereignty. Grant includes the often overlooked Inuit history and perspective. If you want to understand sovereignty issues in Canada, this is a great place to start.