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?

The conference will be organized by the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo in collaboration with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (fni.no), the Commission History of Geography of the International Geographical Union (ugihg.hypotheses.org), the International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences (INHIGEO, inhigeo.com), the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo (nhm.uio.no), and Roald Amundsen’s home, Uranienborg (amundsen.mia.no).

INHIGEO will offer a limited number of travel grants to support early-career scholars, facilitating their participation at the conference. We warmly invite scholars from history, geography, geology, political and social sciences, and other disciplines, especially those working on the Arctic and/or Africa, to submit proposals for oral presentations.

Please send your 200-word abstract and a brief bio of 50 words to Johannes Mattes at johannes.mattes@iakh.uio.no by December 20, 2024. Acceptance notifications will be sent by the end of December. If you wish to apply for an INHIGEO travel grant, please indicate this in your abstract submission.

The two-and-a-half-day conference will be held at the University of Oslo and will include a half- day excursion to the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Polhøgda (the former residence of Fridtjof Nansen) and to Roald Amundsen’s home, Uranienborg.