Journal of Contemporary Archaeology · 2018 · 133 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesEarth SciencesHistoryEnvironmental HistoryGlaciologyIntellectual HistoryGlacial GeomorphologyWaterlogged Archaeological Materials
Recent environmental changes have sparked unprecedented dialogue between earth scientists and humanities scholars, revealing a persistent gap in their focus on solid matter versus fluid meaning. The article aims to bridge this gap by examining glacial ice and concrete—materials that historically embody both solidity and fluidity and mark key moments in human history. It argues that ice and concrete are framed by a punctuated view of change that treats solidity and fluidity as mutually exclusive, and contrasts this with Inuit perceptions of cryogenic landscapes as nurturing, ever‑changing environments.
Recent environmental changes have sparked off unprecedented dialogues between practitioners of the earth sciences and the humanities, which defy some of the basic assumptions underpinning western science. However, a gap still persists between natural scientists and scholars in the humanities in their tendency to concentrate respectively on the solid matter and fluid meaning. This article seeks to close this gap by paying attention to glacial ice and concrete, materials that often mark the onset and culmination of human history and have been historically regarded as solid fluids. We suggest that ice and concrete are caught in a punctuated understanding of change that turns fluidity and solidity into mutually exclusive properties. The article concludes by comparing this oxymoronic syndrome with the ways the Inuit of West Greenland experience their cryogenic landscapes as nurturing environments in constant becoming.