Arctic news is dominated by resource extraction, community dysfunction, adorable wildlife, military exercises and rapid change of all kinds, largely originating outside the Arctic region. In Circling the Midnight Sun: Culture and Change in the Invisible Arctic, James Raffan tackles and enriches these themes that dovetail with today’s headlines. Delivered via a compelling device of travelling along the Arctic Circle, his central argument is that while climate change happens faster in the North than the rest of Earth, cultural change is blindingly more rapid, and of far greater concern to the people who live there.
Telling other people’s stories, especially those of indigenous people in remote areas grappling daily with colonial fallout, is a fraught undertaking. Raffan understands this inherent difficulty, because sharing such stories is the main purpose of both the book and the travels it is based on. Raffan brings to the task a mix of respect, caution...
Dave Secord is the vice-president of strategic grant-making at Tides Canada Foundation, and a former professor and director of interdisciplinary environmental programs. He chairs the Arctic Funders Collaborative, and is on the board of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network.
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