“The Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America,” a book by historian Shelagh Grant on the race to claim sovereignty in the Arctic, has been shortlisted as a potential contender for the Lionel Gelber Prize. Each year, the award recognizes the English-language book that “seeks to deepen public debate on significant global issues,” according to the Gelber Prize website. The winner will be announced on March 1.
Grant, a Canadian, explores the early settlements of the Arctic by indigenous peoples to the most recent efforts of several circumpolar nations – and ultimately, the victory of the Canadians – in exercising sovereignty in the Arctic Archipelago, the thousands of islands and landmasses at the top of the North American continent. A favorable review of the book in the Institute for Research on Public Policy, by Jim Prentice, Canada’s Minister of the Environment, can be found here.
I haven’t yet read the Polar Imperative, but I certainly will be putting it on my reading list.
News Links
“Two Canadian Authors in Running for Gelber Prize,” Vancouver Sun
