Issues and challenges of writing cultural and literary histories of the North and the Arctic

The recent publication, in French or in translation into French, of essays on the literary and cultural history of the North and the Arctic (Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Nunavik), as well as the launch of research and writing projects in this field (Finland, Inuit cultures) open new perspectives which also raise many challenges and issues, particularly from the point of view of determining the corpora, establishing historical chronologies, comparisons, but also the financing of such cultural history projects. All of them make it possible to grasp the evolution of regional or national cultures, of varying sizes, in the circumpolar space.

During this International Round Table, Malan Marnersdóttir (University of the Faroe Islands), Henning Howlig Wærp (Arctic University of Tromsø, Norway), Daniel Chartier (Université du Québec à Montréal), Riikka Rossi (University of Helsinki, Finland), Saija Isomaa (University of Tampere, Finland) and Sumarliði R. Ísleifsson (University of Iceland) will present the projects they are working on in literary and cultural history, while raising the methodological and practical challenges they encounter. These presentations will be followed by a period of questions and discussions, led by Yohann Aucante (EHESS), Sylvain Briens (Sorbonne- Université) and Harri Veivo (Université de Caen). The exchanges will take place in English, with the possibility of spontaneous translation of the questions. The Roundtable will be recorded for future broadcast. Students, researchers and the public are welcome in the availability of places.