ISLAND DYNAMICS
Svalbard: An international polar outpost.
In 1920, the Spitsbergen Treaty demilitarised Svalbard and placed the islands under Norwegian sovereignty. The treaty entitles dozens of countries to carry out commercial activities, exemplified by the Russian mining town of Barentsburg.
Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost town. Founded in 1906, it was a coal mining “company town” until the 1980s, when its economy diversified to include tourism and higher education. Longyearbyen received local government in 2002, and although mainly Norwegian, its 2100 residents include citizens of 40 states. Lying at a unique intersection of jurisdictions, Longyearbyen symbolises today’s blurring of divisions between the local and the global.
Local Actions in a Global Context will take place in the icy polar night, when the sun never rises. Yet despite its small size, Longyearbyen is a vibrant town with a variety of shops, cafes, restaurants, and nightlife establishments.