TY - JOUR
T1 - Petroleum as a challenge to arctic societies
T2 - Ontological security and the oil-driven ‘push to the north’
AU - Dale, Brigt
AU - Veland, Siri
AU - Hansen, Anne Merrild
PY - 2019/4/1
Y1 - 2019/4/1
N2 - This paper uses the 2014–2015 plunge in oil prices as a linchpin for understanding how petroleum development represents a challenge to Arctic societies. Analysis of media discourses, grey literature and fieldwork material from 2013 to 2017 compared with previous work in the region shows that the 75% price decrease in oil price brings into stark relief the perceived level of ontological security that future petroleum economies in Northern Norway, Alaska and Greenland provides. The findings reveal that while the communities in each location find themselves along different timelines of the petroleum economy, there are transferable insights that can benefit other communities influenced by (the potential for) petroleum development in both the Arctic and beyond, in particular concerning the way in which specific ideas about oil and oils future features as contributing to or diminishes ontological security perceptions on the ground. The goal of this paper is to deepen the comparative analysis of research on tensions in Arctic communities as petroleum is perceived as either strengthening or threatening future ontological security in the region. The discussion considers the consequences of path dependent petroleum economies, and how perceptions on alternative futures can fruitfully be introduced into petroleum-dominated narratives about viable Arctic futures.
AB - This paper uses the 2014–2015 plunge in oil prices as a linchpin for understanding how petroleum development represents a challenge to Arctic societies. Analysis of media discourses, grey literature and fieldwork material from 2013 to 2017 compared with previous work in the region shows that the 75% price decrease in oil price brings into stark relief the perceived level of ontological security that future petroleum economies in Northern Norway, Alaska and Greenland provides. The findings reveal that while the communities in each location find themselves along different timelines of the petroleum economy, there are transferable insights that can benefit other communities influenced by (the potential for) petroleum development in both the Arctic and beyond, in particular concerning the way in which specific ideas about oil and oils future features as contributing to or diminishes ontological security perceptions on the ground. The goal of this paper is to deepen the comparative analysis of research on tensions in Arctic communities as petroleum is perceived as either strengthening or threatening future ontological security in the region. The discussion considers the consequences of path dependent petroleum economies, and how perceptions on alternative futures can fruitfully be introduced into petroleum-dominated narratives about viable Arctic futures.
KW - Alaska
KW - Arctic futures
KW - Greenland
KW - Norway
KW - Offshore oil
KW - Ontological security
KW - Path dependency
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055161734&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.exis.2018.10.002
DO - 10.1016/j.exis.2018.10.002
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85055161734
SN - 2214-790X
VL - 6
SP - 367
EP - 377
JO - Extractive Industries and Society
JF - Extractive Industries and Society
IS - 2
ER -