northern SNIPPETS
Who Am I?
My name is Anna Soer. I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Ottawa in Canada. My supervisor is Prof. Ryan Katz-Rosene. I am French and Dutch, my mother coming from Brittany, France, and my father from Drenthe, Netherlands.
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My research project focusses on a gendered analysis of the socio-economic impacts of renewable energy development in Sanikiluaq (Nunavut, Canada) and Northern Norway (Vefsn) in Inuit and Saami municipalities and communities. This research project is interdisciplinary in nature, taking as a starting point Indigenous decolonial feminism to incorporate critical development theories - such as post-development - grounded in history, law, and the relational aspect of geography and belonging in the Arctic. Through this interdisciplinary research, I aim to enter into a discussion on gender, Indigenous practices and knowledges, as well as how sustainable development has incorporated or rejected those practices and knowledges, in relation to both countries' national discourses about their Northerness and respect for human rights. This discussion also leads into several others topics such as governance structures, green colonialism, and colonial greenwashing.
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This blog is an opportunity for me to share my interests and ideas, sometimes directly linked to my research and sometimes not. The posts are snippets into thoughts, works in constant evolution and are not meant as 'answers' but more as conversations and exchanges.
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Thank you for sticking around !
Twitter: @soer_anna
LinkedIn: Anna Soer
Date of birth: 6 June 1995
Place of birth: Solwezi, Zambia
Nationality: French and Dutch
Gender: Female
Education:
Sept 2020 – ongoing
PhD student at the University of Ottawa School of Political Studies. Research Project is focused on a gendered socio-economic impacts analysis of renewable energy infrastructure development in the Canadian and Norwegian Arctic among two Inuit and Saami municipalities – Sanikiluaq and Øyfjellet.
Sept 2019- July 2020
Master of Science degree in Human Geography - Conflict, Territories and Identities - Radboud University, Netherlands. Obtained Cum Laude. Title of thesis "Canadian Inuit wellbeing: between multidimensional holism and practical realities. The impact of socio-economic and environmental factors on the wellbeing of Inuit Nunavummiut."
Sept 2018 - June 2019
Pre-Master’s certificate in Human Geography - Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Sept 2014 – June 2017
Bachelor’s degree: English Literature and Civilisation, University of Bordeaux - Montaigne, Bordeaux, France.
Sept. 2006 - June 2013
French Baccalauréat (with honours): specialisation in Literature and
Philosophy, European section, Lycée Français Vincent van Gogh, The Hague, Netherlands.
Professional experiences:
May 2023 - ongoing
Research assistant on maritime Arctic scientific expeditions at the School of public administration in Québec (ÉNAP) with Mathieu Landriault.
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July 2022 – Sept 2022
Research Assistant on Eco-Socialist Perspectives on Growth with Ryan Katz-Rosene, University of Ottawa.
Nov 2021- July 2022
Contributor to The Arctic Institute Take Five, weekly reports on news around the circumpolar Arctic or of particular interest to the Arctic.
Mar 2021 – May 2023
Social media assistant for the 25th and 26th World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities
Jan 2021 – ongoing
Teaching Assistant at the University of Ottawa, Canada, in introduction seminars on Globalization, International Development, Political Science, and International Politics.
Jan 2021 – March 2023
Research Assistant on Arctic transborder cooperation at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP), Observatoire des administrations publiques autochtones, and Observatoire de la politique et la sécurité de l'Arctique with Jean-François Savard and Mathieu Landriault.
Jan 2021 - ongoing
Editor of the University of Ottawa School of Political Studies social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and recruitment strategies assistant.
Oct 2017 - Feb 2018
Researcher in social inequalities at Initiativa Kosovare per Stabilitet (IKS) in Pristina, Kosovo.
Oct 2015 - May 2016
Civil Service (mission: developing adequate structures in order to offer quality education to children in fragile situations), Catholic Education of Gironde, France, situated in Bordeaux.
Publications:
March 2023
Landriault M., Savard J.-F., & Soer A. (2023). Perceptions of decision-makers about a potential forum of cooperation in the eastern part of the North American Arctic. Polar Research, 42. https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.9026
March 2023
Landriault, M., Savard, J. F., & Soer, A. (2023). Potentiel de coopération dans l’est de l’Arctique nord-américain: un forum de coopération est-il envisageable?.
April 2022
« Problems of Place: The Queerness of Solitude », Environmental History Now.
April 2022
Soer, A. Interspecies Ethics of Care in Arctic Geopolitics.
2022
Landriault, M., Savard, J. F., Soer, A., & Renaud, J. (2022) L’INDÉPENDANCE DU GROENLAND: UN MOUVEMENT QUI A LE VENT DANS LES VOILES. GUERRE EN UKRAINE, 2.
July 2021
Savard, J. F., Landriault, M., Saël, E., Soer, A., & Nzobonimpa, S. (2021). La COVID-19 dans l’est de l’Arctique nord américain: évolution de la pandémie et stratégies d’atténuation. Observatoire des administrations publiques autochtones (OAPA), ENAP.
Under Preparation
« Application des principes de territorialité et de personnalité : gouvernance et indépendance au Nunavut et au Groenland ».
Under Preparation
“From Lady Jane Franklin to #TradWife: gender, race, and class in land expropriation in the North American High North.”
Presentations:
May 2021 - ESAC
« Arctic wildlife: icons, tools and arguments in regional governance »
May 2022 - ESAC
« Application des principes de territorialité et de personnalité : gouvernance et indépendance au Nunavut et au Groenland »
October 2022 – Arctic Circle Assembly
« Perceptions of decision-makers on a potential forum of cooperation in the Eastern part of the North American Arctic »
November 2022 – Gender Studies Conference
« Plastic Policymaking and Policy Implementation in Nunavut: Bringing the Voices of Inuit Women In »
February 2023 : Arctic Science Summit Week
« Sustainability and cooperation in the North American Arctic »
May 2023 : Extractivismes: processus, critiques et alternatives
« Extractivisme vert et extraction des savoirs autochtones dans l’Arctique : la lutte contre le changement climatique au relent de colonialisme »
May 2022 – Arctic Academy for Sustainability
Poster presentation: « Avatittinnik kamatsiarniq and Birgejupmi: Renewable energy and Green Colonialism in the Canadian and Norwegian Arctic. »
Abstract accepted. September 2023 – EISA PEC
« From #tradwife to settler colonialism: Pretendians and the expropriation and exploitation of land in Canada, Alaska, and Fennoscandia. »
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Abstract accepted. October 2023 – Earth System Governance
« Intersectionality in Arctic climate change: a transdisciplinary insight into systems of power and just transition »
Volunteer activities and personal projects:
2022 – ongoing
Board Member ESAC
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2022 – ongoing
Member of Pride in Polar Research
2022 – ongoing
Co-Chief Editor of Potentia – Graduate Student Journal of International Affairs
2022 - ongoing
Northern Snippets: blog sharing thoughts and experiences related to my research interests.
2020 - ongoing:
Photography website for personal artworks and future projects
Oct 2016 - May 2017
Lay-out artist and Photographer for the student newspaper TINTAMARRE,
University of Bordeaux – Montaigne, France.
Jan 2013 - May 2013
Editor in Chief for the MFNU (Modèle Francophone des Nations Unies [French Model United Nations]), The Hague, Netherlands
Language skills:
French: Mother tongue English: Fluent (C2)
Dutch: Intermediate level (B2) German: Intermediate level (B1)