« Living in a “Melting World”: Recentering Lived Experiences Amid Slow Upheavals in Ittoqqortoormiit (Kalaallit Nunaat) »

Tanguy Sandré

Tuesday 17 December 2024 at 14H00

Salle de Thèse, D’Alembert building (2nd floor), 5 Boulevard d'Alembert, 78280 Guyancourt (France)

Although the Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the global average, the lived experiences of its residents are often overlooked, reduced to their ability to adapt and remain resilient in the face of a so-imagined “melting world”. This doctoral thesis addresses the urgent need to re-ground environmental and climate upheavals in salient local experiences. The research is anchored in the Arctic community of Ittoqqortoormiit (Kalaallit Nunaat, Greenland), where I conducted in-depth interviews and ethnographic stays between 2021 and 2023. Taking a narrative-centered approach, inspired by grounded theory and critical ethnography, I explore how climate-induced changes, such as the reduction in sea ice, are intertwined in the lived experiences of place and how they are expressed in people's narratives. These changes are not limited to a physical materiality; rather, they are deeply connected to the sense of place and are often reflected in the increasing uncertainty about changes understood as non-linear. The lived experiences of remoteness and of historical patterns of domination further shape individuals’ feeling of “being forgotten”. The originality of the research lies in its decolonial approach, which acknowledges the epistemological privilege of the researcher to construct a “sensible theory”. It involves the adoption of writing forms that intertwine critical reflexivity, autoethnography, and theory. Through dialogue, the research elucidates the power dynamics at play in Arctic regions in environmental and climate change processes, an area on which there has been limited academic and non-academic interest. Furthermore, the research contributes to a broadening of the narratives of the Arctic within the Anthropocene. By situating the specific experiences of Kalaallit Nunaat’s eastern residents within historical processes, this thesis demonstrates how ongoing environmental and climate upheavals are inextricably linked to colonial legacies, imbalances in narrative power and epistemic injustices that permeate everyday life. I propose the notion of slow upheavals, in order to grasp gradual changes whose impacts are manifested almost imperceptibly but are slowly exacerbating marginalization of the community members. The thesis also expands on Western notions of resilience and terminality by integrating place-based experiences of attachment, desire toward the future, and agency. Finally, the research explores the potential of transdisciplinary forms, such as through visual art and science-policy interventions, to enhance the agency and voices of community members.

Keywords: Place-based communities, lived-experiences, narratives, critical ethnography, upheavals.

Jury members:

• Thora M. HERRMANN, Professor, Oulu University (Finland)
• Mark NUTTALL, Professor, Alberta University (Canada)
• Eduard ARIZA SOLE, Professor, Independent University of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain)
• Naja DYRENDOM GRAUGAARD, Post doctorate, Aarhus University (Denmark)
• Laine CHANTELOUP, Assistant Professor, Lausanne University (Switzerland)
• Jean-Paul VANDERLINDEN (director), Professor, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France)
• Jeanne GHERARDI (co-supervisor), Associate Professor, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France)
• Arjan WARDEKKER (co-supervisor), Senor Researcher, University of Bergen (Norway)