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Arctic Urbanization: Modernity Without Cities

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Arctic Environmental Modernities

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History ((PSWEH))

Abstract

This chapter explores current processes of urbanization in the Arctic, with a focus on northern Scandinavia. The author argues that theories of urbanism have to be modified and diversified to encompass Arctic cities, most of which are far smaller in scale and population than the metropolises further to the south. According to the author, Arctic urbanism today is produced within the context of a new phase of industrialization related to extractive industries and a changing geopolitical environment. The author provides an overview of the specificities of Scandinavian Arctic urbanity with a particular focus on the cities’ multiculturalism and the characteristic proximity of culture and nature, linking Arctic urbanization and modernization inextricably with the utilization of the natural resources in the cities’ environments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of the Arctic Institute for Sociology, Postboks 6050, 9037, Tromsø, Lanees, Norway

    Torill Nyseth

Authors
  1. Torill Nyseth
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Lill-Ann Körber

  2. Department of Film and Media, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Scott MacKenzie

  3. School of Modern Languages, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Anna Westerståhl Stenport

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Nyseth, T. (2017). Arctic Urbanization: Modernity Without Cities. In: Körber, LA., MacKenzie, S., Westerståhl Stenport, A. (eds) Arctic Environmental Modernities. Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39116-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39116-8_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-39115-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39116-8

  • eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)

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