Climate Change Totems and Discursive Hegemony Over the Arctic

The Arctic and its animals figure prominently as icons of climate change in Western imaginaries. Persuasive storytelling centred on compelling animal icons, like the polar bear, is a powerful strategy to frame environmental challenges, mobilizing collective global efforts resist degradation species endangerment. power bear imagery part derived from perceived “environmental sacredness” that has gained totem-like status. In dominant “global” discourses, this connotation often works detriment Indigenous peoples, for whom signify complex socio-ecological relations cultural histories. This Perspective article offers reflexive analysis symbolic totem discursive exclusion informed by attendance during 2015–2017 at annual negotiations research 2016–2018 Canada’s Nunavut Territory. bear’s status imaginaries exposes three tensions infuse perception, activism, representation citizenship. first tension concerns crisis, threat ecologically significant or sacred species, contrasted with locally lived realities. second global, pristine, fragile “contemplated,” but simultaneously local, hazardous, sustaining lived. third Indigenization, distorted under gaze reimagines role peoples. Current hegemony over serves place peoples stasis restricts space engagement voice.