A two-day interdisciplinary conference focusing on music in the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions. 

Despite the perceived quietude of the vast empty white spaces of the Arctic and the boreal forests of the sub-Arctic, music has had and continues to occupy a central place in the lives of its inhabitants. The regions are home to some of the world’s most popular composers, musicians, and pop groups. For the (sub-)Arctic’s Indigenous communities, music can function as a form of empowerment, identity expression, community healing and linguistic and cultural revitalisation.

As the Arctic’s ice melts, tensions rise. The receding ice of the Arctic is increasingly heating up geopolitical debates on ownership of the region and the precious resources locked away beneath its ice caps. This has caused a renewed interest in the area, especially for those countries that are situated within, or close to, the (sub-)Arctic zone. The mounting geopolitical tensions and effects of climate change have their effect on the regions’ populations; some of whom belong to the richest nations in the world. This two-day conference aims to bring together scholars from various disciplines to consider music in the region in the widest sense possible. Papers can focus on any genre of music as well as any period, or combinations thereof. 

Geographical definition of the (sub-)Arctic

The sub-Arctic and Arctic are geographical regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The sub-Arctic starts around 50N latitude and the regions include Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the north of Scotland, Fennoscandia, North Russia, and Siberia.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit your abstract and a short bio via Easy Chair.

Submission Deadline: 15 April 2026

Notification of acceptance: 22 April 2026

Registration for conference and conference dinner opens: 15 May 2026

Length of abstract: 300 words (excluding references, including title)

Length of bio: 150 words

List of Possible Topics

The following topics are of relevance, but not limited to:

• Identities and music
• Place and music
• Representation of Indigenous communities in music
• The development of various musical genres in the (Sub-)Arctic
• Resilience through music
• Revitalisation through music
• Community building through music
• Community healing through music
• Music as a response to climate change
• Music as a response to (geo)political tensions
• The sounds and soundscape of the (sub-)Arctic
• Music events, festivals, concerts in the (sub-)Arctic
• Traditional instruments and vocal techniques
• Forms of lyrical expression
• Music as a form of protest and social criticism
• Traditions and music
• Music and borealism
• Music and colonialism, postcolonialism, decolonialism, or anticolonialism
• Reception of music from the (sub-)Arctic outside the region(s)

Keynote Speakers

• Professor Tina K. Ramnarine (Royal Holloway, University of London)
• Dr Aimar Ventsel (University of Tartu) & Eleanor Peers (University of Oxford)

Practical Information

A selection of the talks will be published in a peer-reviewed edited volume after the conference.

We especially welcome abstracts from students, early career researchers, and those who have been historically marginalised within academia. We are committed to making the conference as accessible as possible for everyone. If you have any access needs for presentations or attendance, please let us know upon acceptance of your abstract or when registering and we will work with you to fulfil these needs. Although we warmly encourage everyone to attend in person, if you are unable to travel to Oxford, we are happy to accommodate your presentation online.

There will be a three-course conference dinner in Somerville College on Tuesday 8 September. The fee for the conference dinner will be £50, including drinks. You can register for the conference dinnner seperately when registration opens.

Contact

All questions should be emailed to the conference organisors:

dr Charlotte Doesburg: charlotte.doesburg@music.ox.ac.uk

dr Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi: r.valijarvi@ucl.ac.uk