In contemporary political and popular debates, the Arctic is still often portrayed as the ‘world’s new energy province’: a resource storehouse whose natural riches will have a defining role in solving the future challenges of the energy hungry world. In these framings, the word ‘energy’ is often used synonymously with the production of oil and gas for international markets. In a similar vein, any social aspects associated with northern energy developments are sidelined or reduced to regional socioeconomic concerns.

This book adopts an alternative approach, as it takes an explicit focus on how energy, the social and their intertwinements are defined and debated in the context of the circumpolar north. With its in-depth conceptual discussion on energy and its social dimension and its empirical focus on the Arctic energyscape, the book is an enlightening read for students, scholars and professionals interested in issues related to energy and society, in the Arctic or beyond.