Antarctica

a continent for the humanities

Roberts Peder

Adrián Howkins

Lize-Marié van der Watt

pp. 1-23

in: Roberts Peder, Lize-Marié van der Watt, Adrián Howkins (eds), Antarctica and the humanities, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Abstract

In the introduction we unpack the idea behind the volume, both as a contribution to Antarctica scholarship, but also as a reflection on the humanities, more specifically the environmental humanities. Antarctica has never been a stable concept within the realm of human discourse and we interrogate the prevailing perception of Antarctica as a continent for science. Noting that there have been many ways to imagine and experience Antarctica in the past, and that there are at least as many possibilities for the future, we chart the expansion of humanities scholarship in Antarctica, and what that could mean for our understanding of Antarctica. We also point toward the pedagogical value of deconstructing Antarctica as a continent for science—and the paradox in using the humanities to do so. Finally, the introduction sets out the structure of the book, providing a short overview of the chapters and thematic lines running through them.