North by Degree: An International Conference on Arctic Exploration

In conjunction with the International Polar Year (2007 - 2008), this 2-½ day interdisciplinary conference on North American Arctic (and sub-Arctic) exploration will will focus on the period from 1850 to 1940. Papers will be given by a combination of invited scholars and as well as emerging scholars whose submissions have been peer-reviewed.

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Times and Locations Wednesday, May 21, 12:00 to 7:00 p.m., in the American Philosophical Society's Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street Thursday, May 22, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, at The Academy of Natural Sciences Friday, May 23, 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at The Academy of Natural Sciences Saturday, May 24, Arctic Film Fesitval, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at The Academy of Natural Sciences This event is co-hosted by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, Bowdoin College (Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Arctic Studies Center) and the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science (PACHS). Conference sessions (two in the morning, two in the afternoon) will be arranged topically, rather than by disciplines. Some of the themes to be addressed include: * Strategic issues propelling northern exploration * Consequences of culture contact (Western-Inuit/Inughuit relations) * The impact of Arctic exploration on popular culture * National identity and the “Race for the Pole” * Increases in knowledge of the natural world * Advances in maritime technology * Changes in navigational techniques * Advances in travel and communication technologies * The culture of the explorer "North by Degree: An International Conference on Arctic Exploration" is being planned as the second part in a series of three international conferences. “Exploring and Being Explored: Africa in the 19th Century” was held at the National Maritime Museum in England in March 2007. A conference on the exploration of the South Pacific will be held at the Museum of Mankind, Paris, in 2009. The Arctic conference planning committee includes: Phillip Cronenwett (MIT), Lyle Dick (Parks Canada), Susan A. Kaplan (Bowdoin College), Martin L. Levitt (The American Philosophical Society), Robert M. Peck (The Academy of Natural Sciences), and Babak Ashrafi (Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science).
Registration Required
For further information contact: Robert M. Peck Senior Fellow of the Academy peck@ansp.org (215) 299-1138