Dr Danita Burke

International Disputes and Cultural Ideas in the Canadian Arctic: Arctic Sovereignty in the National Consciousness

Biography

Danita Catherine Burke is from the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Dr Burke completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in political science at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Newfoundland before proceeding to the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK to complete a PhD in International Politics.

Currently Dr Burke is based in Odense, Denmark as a Carlsberg Foundation's Distinguished Postdoc Fellow at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark. She is part of the International Politics Section of that department and her research focuses on the fields of international relations and Arctic politics.

Dr Burke’s work has explored subjects such as Canada’s relationship with the Arctic region, diplomatic dynamics in the Arctic Council, and the legacy of international non-governmental organizations in her research

Lecture abstract

Canadian relationship with its portion of the Arctic region revolves around the dramatic split between the appearance of absent-minded governance, bordering on indifference toward the region, and the raging nationalism during moments of actual and perceived challenge toward the sovereignty of the imagined “Canadian Arctic region.” 

This lecture will explore Canada’s relationship with the Arctic region, pushing against the common argument that the relationship is largely a reactionary phenomenon to the actual and perceived Americanization of Canada.

This lecture encourages the audience to consider the complexity and nuances of the evolution of the Canadian relationship with the Arctic region in order to more fully appreciate the implications of this relationship on Canada’s approach toward international relations pertaining to the Arctic region.