Fresh Perspective on Antarctica

A NZ doctoral student and her Dutch counterpart have initiated a radical new program to involve the humanities and social sciences in Antarctic research. Canterbury University’s Daniela Haase and Machiel Lamers of the University of Maastricht launched the Share project (Social Sciences and Humanities Antarctic Research Exchange) in February, in honour of International Polar Year. Haase and Lamers believe that the humanities and social sciences are being under-utilised in studies of the region, arguing that they have the knowledge and means to assess the current state of human/environment relations and the legal, political, socio-economic and cultural situation in Antarctica. They hope to unite researchers working on Antarctica in areas such as law and policy under the Share banner, thereby encouraging support and synchronisation in their growing field. The Share web portal will go live in May.