North by Degree: An International Conference on Arctic Exploration

This interdisciplinary conference continues at The Academy of Natural Sciences, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Featured on May 22 is a lunch talk by Tori Murden McClure, "To Rise for Brief Moments Above the State of Crawling Things: The Rewards of Exploration." Tori Murden made world headlines in 1999 when she set out to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by rowboat alone. She reached her goal after 81 days of rowing over 2,962 nautical miles. McClure was also the first woman to ski to the South Pole, and the first woman to climb Lewis Nunatuk in the Antarctic. She has made a practice of challenging her mind as well as her body; she holds a bachelor's degree from Smith College, two master's degrees (in divinity, from Harvard University, and in fine arts, from Spalding University) and a law degree from the University of Louisville.

Tori Murden McClure's talk and the lunch is included with conference registration. See May 21 for links to download the full conference program and to register online.

McClure's precis of her talk:

What motivates the human need to explore? To go out in the interest of science, to add to our understanding of the natural world, to open trade routes, to rescue others in peril, or to uphold some sense of national pride are all motives that have been embraced by popular culture. Other motives seem less laudable: the desire to be first, an attempt to break a record, or taking on an extreme test of fortitude without some preceding accident.

A laudable motive by itself is not enough, more is required. The role of the explorer in popular culture ebbs and flows, but the western image of the hero has been clearly charted by myth and literature. When the explorer path parallels the traditional hero path as outlined in books like Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale, Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces, or Dorothy Norman’s The Hero/Myth/Image/Symbol all is well. The western hero is usually male, typically a Caucasian male, and most often he is a Caucasian with affluent connections. When an expedition leader does not fit this traditional paradigm eyebrows are inclined to rise.

Popular culture tends to gauge the importance of an expedition by the motivations and personal profile of the expedition leader. Occasionally, we may scrutinize the motives and profile of the expedition sponsors as well. The rewards of exploration, the things that motivate the explorer, are important for us to consider. As we become more interdisciplinary in our approaches to the study of exploration and its history, we must examine our preconceived notions about who has been permitted to walk the explorer’s path and how he or she paid the expenses. As children, we all explore. As adults, we should cling to the explorer’s path as much as we are able.