This collection will feature cutting-edge contributions of Antarctic humanities scholars and social scientists, whose work considers the complex, and often ambiguous, relationships between humankind and the Southern Polar region. It will explore the social, cultural, economic and political connections that individuals, groups, and entire societies have formed with the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean and how intimately these connections are tied to Antarctic environments and landscapes in reality and in people’s imaginations. We invite scholars to submit a manuscript for consideration of inclusion in this Virtual Collection, if their work contributes to our understanding of the past, present or future of human engagement with the Antarctic region, the socio-ecological implications of this engagement, related frictions and challenges, and the resulting obligations – both in terms of our moral responsibilities and the governance of the region.
A subsection of this collection will be guest-edited by Pedro Marques-Quinteiro, Cristian Lorenzo, Gabriela Roldan, Hanne Nielsen, Maria Senatore and Catarina Gomes. For this subsection, we invite full papers that were presented at the 2023 conference of the SCAR Standing Committee on the Humanities and Social Sciences (SC-HASS) in Lisbon, Portugal. In addition, we welcome new research undertaken in the Antarctic social sciences and humanities that speak to the general theme of the 2023 SC-HASS Conference – “the Antarctic for a better world”. Manuscripts should contribute reflections on the effects of, or challenges related to, human activities in Antarctica and should outline lessons learned from the various dimensions of human engagements with the Antarctic and Southern Ocean that can be transferred to other aspects of society and thus improve the way we live and work on Earth.
Another subsection of this Collection will focus on the “Policy-Law-Science Nexus in the Antarctic (PoLSciNex)” and will be guest-edited by Yelena Yermakova, Rebecca Hingley, and Akiho Shibata. PoLSciNex aims to examine how science-based decision-making is operationalized within the Antarctic context by studying the interface between policy, law, and science, which is crucial to our understanding of how the Antarctic governance regime can and should evolve to ensure a sustainable and resilient future in the region. This subsection showcases some of the scholarly research from the Action Group on PoLSciNex (2018-21) and also invites wider interests and submissions, both from natural and social science scholars and practitioners. Please reach out to Akiho Shibata to express your interest in the PoLSciNex subsection.