Polar women

Norwegian polar history is about more than Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. It is about more than a small exclusive group of heroes and about more than spectacular expeditions. This book breaks with the male-dominated perspective and shines a spotlight on those who, because of their gender, find themselves in the blind spot of the dominant history – some of the many women who participated in various polar activities throughout the 1900th century.

The women in this book belonged to the networks around established Norwegian polar institutions. Some of them were researchers. Others were housewives, trappers, adventurers, activists, writers, artists and office workers. As women, they contributed to incorporating the polar regions into Norwegian society and to developing, nuanced and gendered the image of Norway as a polar nation. Yet almost none of them have been given the place in history that they deserve.
The book is based on a deep dive into the biography archive at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø. It highlights both known and unknown polar women. From botanist Hanna Resvoll-Holmsen to trapper Anna Oxaas, enthusiast Ella Anker and geologist Brit Hofseth to glaciologist Monica Kristensen, there is material for a new, richer and more diverse polar history.