About the project
The project investigates the foundation of statehood, science popularization, and (trans)national cooperation with specific regard to the Polar Regions and “inner Africa”.
In the nineteenth century, geographical societies formed the institutional base for the rising field of geographical research. Their foundation, mainly in European capitals, coincided with the growth of a civil society and the rise of imperial claims to power.
By simultaneously practicing and popularizing science, the geographical societies developed a lasting impact on the exploration and public perception of formerly inaccessible environments such as the Arctic, Antarctica, and “inner Africa”.
Project aims
We compare the geographical societies of four capitals: Brussels, Edinburgh, Oslo, and Vienna. Societies in these cities considered the Polar Regions and/or “inner Africa” as major poles of geographical inquiry.
Particular attention will be paid to:
- historical geographies in which research on the Polar Regions and Africa was practiced, networks of exchange established, and scholarship popularized
- the relationship between state governance and geographical societies in the context of national and imperial statehood
- interaction processes between science, geographical exploration, and the public sphere with regard to practitioners, field sites, and exchange formats involved
Conference
‘Epistemic Frontiers’? Geoscientific Knowledge, Authority, and Politics of Participation in Arctic and African Exploration
Time and place: Oslo, Norway, 22–24th April 2025
Johannes Mattes and Ulrike Spring (University of Oslo)
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the High Arctic and Africa’s ‘interior’ emerged as major poles of Western geoscientific inquiry, offering untapped resources and routes to prestige and authority. Despite their diverse ecosystems and Indigenous populations, similarities can be found in how European scholars studied, documented, and discussed these regions, both in the field and at their working desks. Once labelled as ‘white spots’ on maps, these areas were framed as ‘epistemic frontiers’—perceived as outside Western scientific knowledge, exoticised, and used to mirror Europe’s ideas of a ‘civilized’ world. This geographical imagination not only captivated public interest but also fostered international cooperation while advancing nation- and empire-building agendas. Furthermore, these areas were seen as ‘testing grounds’ for phenomena best observable under extreme conditions, enabling researchers to tackle global scientific questions
This conference will explore the production and dissemination of geoscientific knowledge around the Arctic and Africa from a comparative perspective. It will examine how scholarly authority and politics of inclusion and exclusion contributed to frame these areas as uncharted scientific domains. Discussions will focus on how authority was established through publication practices, institutional affiliations, and fieldwork narratives, and will consider the role of scientific, intermediary, and Indigenous participants working at local, national, and international levels. The conference will also assess how framing these regions as ‘epistemic frontiers’ shaped both geoscientific concepts and geopolitical agendas.
Key topics will include:
- Politics of Participation: In what ways did the involvement of scientific, intermediary, and indigenous actors influence research and the representation of the Arctic and/or Africa?
- Mechanisms of Authority: How were legitimacy and credibility in exploring these regions negotiated, questioned, or reinforced?
- Knowledge Production and Dissemination: To what extent did geoscientific practices and concepts used in Arctic and/or African exploration draw from other regions, or serve as models for further exploration?
- Geopolitical Impact: To what degree did framing these regions as 'epistemic frontiers' shape, and reflect, imperial or national agendas?
- Comparative Perspectives: What comparative insights can be gained from examining geoscientific approaches to the Arctic and Africa?
Organizers
The conference will be organized by the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo in collaboration with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, the Commission History of Geography of the International Geographical Union, the International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences - [broken link] (INHIGEO), the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo, and Roald Amundsen’s home, Uranienborg.
