northern SNIPPETS
My name is Anna Soer. I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Ottawa in Canada and faculty lecturer at the School of Continuing Studies, McGill University. My supervisor is Prof. Ryan Katz-Rosene. I am French and Dutch, my mother coming from Brittany, France, and my father from Drenthe, Netherlands.
My research project focusses on a gendered analysis of the socio-economic impacts of renewable energy development in Nunavut, Canada, and Greenland in 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.
The analysis of renewable energy development in a Nunavut and Greenlandic context highlight key policy frameworks such as corporate social responsibility and the Environment Social Governance framework especially prevalent in a Canadian context. Corporate social responsibility and the ESG framework are then problematised against a reality of capacity issues and engagement fatigue across communities and governments throughout Nunavut and Greenland.
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.
LinkedIn: Anna Soer
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 Greenlandic Arctic focussing on the applicability and reality of the ESG framework against a backdrop of capacity limitations and engagement fatigue.
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.
Professional experiences:
November 2023 - ongoing
Faculty Lecturer, School of Continuing Studies, McGill University.
May 2023 - ongoing
Research Assistant on Arctic Ocean scientific collaborations at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) under the supervision Prof. Mathieu Landriault and Dr. Pauline Pic.
July 2022 – Sept 2022
Research Assistant on Eco-Socialist Perspectives on Growth with Prof. 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.
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.
Oct 2017 - Feb 2018
Researcher in social inequalities at Initiativa Kosovare per Stabilitet (IKS) in Pristina, Kosovo.
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
" Interspecies Ethics of Care in Arctic Geopolitics ", Arctic Relations
2022
Landriault, M., Savard, J. F., Soer, A., & Renaud, J. (2022) L’INDÉPENDANCE DU GROENLAND: UN MOUVEMENT QUI A LE VENT DANS LES VOILES. CQEG. 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.
November 2023
Stratégies de mobilisation des principes de territorialité et d’identité: gouvernance et indépendance au Nunavut et au Groenland. Potentia, (14), 83.
Under Preparation
“From Lady Jane Franklin to #TradWife: gender, race, and class in land expropriation in the North American High North.”
Presentations:
CONFIRMED May 2024: Arctic Congress
" The BBNJ Treaty and the Central Arctic Ocean: applicability and limitations "
CONFIRMED May 2024: Arctic Congress
« Research and engagement fatigue : Language practices and South-North relations »
March 2024: Arctic Science Summit Week
« Arctic Urban Sustainability in Action: From fossil fuels to renewable energies in Aasiaat and Sanikiluaq »
March 2024: CIPS Graduate Student Conference
"The Canadian WPS Agenda in the Arctic: Between Indigenous Rights and Feminism"
January 2024: Bell Chair Conference
"The Canadian WPS Agenda in the Arctic: Between Indigenous Rights and Feminism"
January 2024 – Arctic Frontiers
Poster presentation: “Social licensing and Indigenous self-determination: renewable energies as tools for autonomy in Nunavut, Nunavik, and Greenland.”
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 2023 – Arctic Academy for Sustainability
Poster presentation: « Avatittinnik kamatsiarniq and Birgejupmi: Renewable energy and Green Colonialism in the Canadian and Norwegian Arctic. »
February 2023 : Arctic Science Summit Week
« Sustainability and cooperation in the North American Arctic »
November 2022 – Gender Studies Conference
« Plastic Policymaking and Policy Implementation in Nunavut: Bringing the Voices of Inuit Women In »
October 2022 – Arctic Circle Assembly
« Perceptions of decision-makers on a potential forum of cooperation in the Eastern part of the North American Arctic »
May 2022 - ESAC
« Application des principes de territorialité et de personnalité : gouvernance et indépendance au Nunavut et au Groenland »
May 2021 - ESAC
« Arctic wildlife: icons, tools and arguments in regional governance »
Volunteer activities and personal projects:
2022 – ongoing
Board Member and Annual Conference Organiser for ESAC
2022 – ongoing
Member of Pride in Polar Research
2022 – ongoing
Co-Chief Editor of Potentia – Graduate Student Journal of International Affairs
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)