Colonialism and Antarctica

Is Antarctica the only continent in the world where colonialism never left a footprint? The question is deceptively complex, because despite lacking an indigenous population, Antarctica has not existed in isolation from the economic and political structures of the modern world. Being labelled a continent for science and peace has never prevented Antarctica from being a space where the rivalries of the Cold War and the inequalities between the developed and the developing world played out. Colonialism and Antarctica asks two questions: what analytic value can the concept of colonialism hold to explain the past and present of Antarctica? And can thinking about colonialism in Antarctica help reveal the limits to the analytic value of colonialism as a concept more generally? The book aims both to define a particular field of inquiry and to help stimulate further debate. Truly multidisciplinary, it includes contributions from history, philosophy, archaeology, political geography, and political science. Colonialism and Antarctica also foregrounds perspectives from outside the Anglophone world and invites reflection on how knowing Antarctica is connected to power and justice.