Preface to the 10th Anniversary Issue

• Author: Lena Lauritsen Bendiksen
• Position: Dean, Faculty of Law
• Pages: 11-12

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Citation: Lena Lauritsen Bendiksen. “Preface to the 10th Anniversary Issue” Arctic Review on Law and Politics, Vol. 11,

2020, pp. 70–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.23865/arctic.v11.2660

Arctic Review on Law and Politics

Vol. 11, 2020, pp. 70–71

70

Editorial

Preface to the 10th Anniversary Issue

Lena Lauritsen Bendiksen

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

On April 14, 2010, a new academic journal was launched. As its name suggests,

Arctic Review on Law and Politics was established to provide a forum for discussing

and challenging questions of a legal and political character in an Arctic context. The

journal was initiated by a group of researchers at the University of Tromsø, Norway,

now UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

In the rst issue, Editor-in-chief Øyvind Ravna stated that the aim of the journal

was to “provide new insights and a deeper understanding of fundamental issues

related to the Arctic and the High North, and thus become a forum for academic

discussion on sustainable development in the North.”

More than ten years have passed since this aim was set, and the journal is now in

its 11th volume. It has adapted to changes over the past decade, having successfully

transitioned from a printed, subscription-based format to open access publication

with a broader scope. The focus is the same, however, presenting articles on topics

related to the Circumpolar Northern societies, including papers addressing essential

questions concerning indigenous peoples’ rights, shery issues, environmental ques-

tions, law of the sea and other topics related to Arctic law and politics.

By doing so, the journal addresses topics of great importance to a strategic goal of

UiT The Artic university of Norway: developing the High North. Central to UiT’s

strategic plan is to be at the international forefront of research in energy, climate, soci-

ety and environment in the Arctic. We believe that understanding what happens in the

Arctic is key to understanding global climate change. Developing knowledge on the

causes and effects of changes in climate and environment, the social, economic and

legal adaptations to these changes, and the opportunities and challenges for indige-

nous people due to the changes, is of crucial importance. UiT aims to promote attrac-

tive communities in the north, improving people’s quality of life. To do so, developing

knowledge about the foundation for a functional welfare state, despite changes and

potential conicts in the High North, and based on collaboration, is important.

To participate in developing the High North in the ways envisioned in UiTs stra-

tegic plan, research concerning and challenging questions of a legal and political