The Arctic Yearbook is an international and peer-reviewed volume which focuses on issues of regional governance, development, environmental politics, circumpolar relations, geopolitics and security, all broadly defined. It is an open access, online publication.

This year’s theme is “The Russian Arctic: Economics, Politics & Peoples”. The Russian Arctic comprises over half of the entire Arctic’s surface area, almost half of the Arctic Ocean coastline, 69% of its population, and 73% of its economy. It is an incredibly important part of the Arctic region. Yet it is often misunderstood to external audiences and stakeholders, with superficial characterizations due to a lack of up-to-date information. There is a need for more nuanced and sophisticated English language scholarship on the Russian Arctic, especially from Russian authors themselves.

This Arctic Yearbook seeks to explore, analyze, critique, and deepen our collective understanding of the Russian Arctic and its economy, politics and societies. As Russia chairs the Arctic Council; as a coming oil, gas, and minerals boom strengthens the Arctic’s global influence; as pollution and climate change reshape the Arctic environment; and as northern polities and peoples demand more attention and control, it has become critically important to collect open access, high quality, and informed studies on the Russian Arctic. The Arctic Yearbook 2022 aims to answer this challenge.

Of particular interest are discussions on the following topics:

  • Differences amongst and between Russian Arctic regions and trajectories of their development
  • Technological, scientific and infrastructure advances in the Russian Arctic in recent years
  • Russian Arctic cities and their resilience under conditions of climate and social changes
  • COVID-19 in the Russian Arctic: challenges and response
  • New resource projects in the Russian Arctic, and corporations as their principal actors
  • Environmental (maritime and terrestrial) challenges, policies and practices
  • Scenario development and futurology for the Russian Arctic in the coming years and decades: regional, national and international perspectives
  • Descriptions, and perspectives, of northern peoples and societies
  • Analyses of the issues confronting Indigenous, or small numbered, peoples in the Russian Arctic
  • Geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations affecting Russian-Western relations in the Arctic
  • The Russian Arctic Council agenda and initiatives

Other topics of contemporary significance to Arctic development, governance, geopolitics, security, and community well-being will also be welcome. In particular, we hope to include a section on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the global Arctic and we encourage articles and briefing notes on the subject.

Abstracts should be 250-400 words and include author name(s), institutional affiliation and article title, to be submitted to exnerpirot@gmail.com. The deadline for abstracts is March 15, 2022. Notice of acceptance will be provided on March 31, 2022. Articles must be submitted by June 30, 2022. Publication is planned for Fall 2022.

We also welcome proposals for commentaries (1-3 page opinion pieces) and briefing notes (4-7 page analyses) from experts and policymakers on current issues and events.

EDITOR
Lassi Heininen lassi.heininen@ulapland.fi

MANAGING EDITOR
Heather Exner-Pirot exnerpirot@gmail.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR
Justin Barnes jbarnes@balsillieschool.ca

EDITORIAL BOARD
(Chair) Dr. Alexander Pelyasov (Russian Academy of Sciences; Director of the Center of
Northern and Arctic Economics; Ministry of Economic Development & Trade, Russian
Federation)
Dr. Lawson W. Brigham (Global Fellow, Wilson Center Polar Institute; Research Faculty, University
of Alaska Fairbanks)
Dr. Daria Burnasheva (Senior Lecturer at Arctic State Institute of Culture and Arts, Sakha Republic)
Dr. Miya Christensen (Professor at University of Stockholm, Sweden)
Halldór Johannsson (Executive Director, Arctic Portal, Iceland)
Dr. Kirsi Latola (Research Coordinator, UArctic Vice-President Networks, Finland)
Dr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (Former President of the Republic of Iceland, Chair of the Arctic
Circle)
James Ross, (Gwich’in leader, Northwest Territories, Canada)