TY - ICOMM

T1 - Arctic Cartography

T2 - Making space and Claiming Sovereignty through the Danish Continental Shelf project

AU - Mortensgaard, Lin Alexandra

PY - 2019/10

Y1 - 2019/10

N2 - This thesis examines how The Danish Continental Shelf Project has laid claim to an extended continental shelfcomprising 895,541 km2 of Arctic seabed and subsoil. Specifically, the thesis tries to understand howDenmark-Greenland’s expansion in the Central Arctic Ocean is made possible and how Denmark-Greenland‘knows’ where to draw this territorial boundary. Jeppe Strandsbjerg’s (2010) Territory , Globalization andInternational Relations is employed as a theoretical lens through which the research purpose can beinvestigated. The theoretical framework is based on the argument that we live in a “cartographic reality ofspace” (2010, p. 4) and it theorizes the role of cartography in producing autonomous space, through whichterritory and sovereign rights can be claimed. Strandsbjerg’s theory draws on Bruno Latour’s science studies,and therefore puts emphasis on the role of so-called non-humans in creating ‘reality’. This frameworkhighlights the role of the Continental Shelf Project in creating a cartographic reality of space, where borderscan be drawn, and territory divided. Simultaneously, the employment of the theory also brings to light howthe creation of oceanic cartographic spaces cannot be directly compared to cartographic space created onthe basis of landmass. The thesis also provides a thorough introduction to the legal framework, which shapesthe existence of the Continental Shelf Project, namely the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS), in particular its article 76. The empirical basis of the investigation is interview data, producedthrough ten semi-structured depth interviews. The interviews were conducted with participation fromcentral actors in the project, the majority of whom are scientists. The interviews have been transcribed andcoded. The resulting analysis brings insights on the process of claiming an extended continental shelf, therole of national interest in map-making and the specific reality created in and through the claim north ofGreenland. The thesis thus argues that we do live in a cartographic reality of space, as claimed byStrandsbjerg, but adds nuance to this assertion: In the process of creating Arctic cartographic space nonhumans are assigned a prominent role yet are also squeezed into certain shapes to fit political wishes of amaximized claim to an extended continental shelf.

AB - This thesis examines how The Danish Continental Shelf Project has laid claim to an extended continental shelfcomprising 895,541 km2 of Arctic seabed and subsoil. Specifically, the thesis tries to understand howDenmark-Greenland’s expansion in the Central Arctic Ocean is made possible and how Denmark-Greenland‘knows’ where to draw this territorial boundary. Jeppe Strandsbjerg’s (2010) Territory , Globalization andInternational Relations is employed as a theoretical lens through which the research purpose can beinvestigated. The theoretical framework is based on the argument that we live in a “cartographic reality ofspace” (2010, p. 4) and it theorizes the role of cartography in producing autonomous space, through whichterritory and sovereign rights can be claimed. Strandsbjerg’s theory draws on Bruno Latour’s science studies,and therefore puts emphasis on the role of so-called non-humans in creating ‘reality’. This frameworkhighlights the role of the Continental Shelf Project in creating a cartographic reality of space, where borderscan be drawn, and territory divided. Simultaneously, the employment of the theory also brings to light howthe creation of oceanic cartographic spaces cannot be directly compared to cartographic space created onthe basis of landmass. The thesis also provides a thorough introduction to the legal framework, which shapesthe existence of the Continental Shelf Project, namely the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS), in particular its article 76. The empirical basis of the investigation is interview data, producedthrough ten semi-structured depth interviews. The interviews were conducted with participation fromcentral actors in the project, the majority of whom are scientists. The interviews have been transcribed andcoded. The resulting analysis brings insights on the process of claiming an extended continental shelf, therole of national interest in map-making and the specific reality created in and through the claim north ofGreenland. The thesis thus argues that we do live in a cartographic reality of space, as claimed byStrandsbjerg, but adds nuance to this assertion: In the process of creating Arctic cartographic space nonhumans are assigned a prominent role yet are also squeezed into certain shapes to fit political wishes of amaximized claim to an extended continental shelf.

M3 - Net publication - Internet publication

ER -