The Arctic Institute’s Knowledge Production in the Arctic Series 2025: Final Remarks

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Knowledge production in the Arctic is an inherently contested process. Photo: Hans-Jurgen Mager

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As the past months have seen a rise in interest and headlines calling attention to geopolitical competition and climate change in the Arctic, the role of knowledge, who produces it, and for what purpose has never been more important. We cannot be mere observers of Arctic hype, but rather take moments to critically reflect on the dynamics that occur behind the scenes of regional transformation and change.

The Arctic Institute’s Knowledge Production in the Arctic Series 2025 has offered a variety of different perspectives across the spectrum of knowledge production. We began by asking how German polar research contributions to the International Polar Years from 1882 to 2032 operated as differing aspects of legitimacy building before turning to asking how, in the context of the media frenzy around Greenland, who can be considered an expert on Greenland? We then turned to Indigenous Knowledge (IK) as a central factor of Arctic knowledge production, describing how IK has become increasingly incorporated into co-management practices in the Arctic. We also explored how the Arctic Council’s process of assessing non-Arctic states’ observer applications shows a monopoly of knowledge production in the Arctic, policy recommendations from a participant’s experience in the 2023 Arctic Policy Hackathon, and an analysis of how regional Russian Arctic outlets are covering the war in Ukraine.

The Arctic is increasingly enveloped in breathless narratives about geopolitical competition, with the smoke generated by pundits and other commentators threatening to obscure local and lived perspectives. Examining the power relations underlying how – and by whom – knowledge about the Arctic is produced and circulated is more than a mere academic exercise; it raises the crucial question of for whom this knowledge is created and whether it serves the interests of those most impacted by the changes unfolding in the region.

In conclusion, The Arctic Institute’s Knowledge Production in the Arctic Series 2025 has aimed to refocus our gaze on the inherent contestation at play when one speaks of knowledge production in the Arctic.

Gabriella Gricius is a Senior Fellow at The Arctic Institute, and Trym Eiterjord is a Research Associate at The Arctic Institute.