April 28-May 1, 2008
Houghton, Michigan USA

This is the first announcement for the 2008 Workshop of the LASHIPA (Large-scale historical exploitation of Polar Areas) group. An international organization centered around the historical and archaeological study of industrialization in Polar Areas, the LASHIPA group has cooperated successfully on several seasons of research and teaching based in fieldwork on Svalbard (see www.lashipa.nl for details). LASHIPA members have garnered research funding from several national agencies and continue to pursue support for joint efforts during the next two years, at minimum. LASHIPA has been officially sanctioned as an IPY research activity, with explicit attention to international cooperation and interaction.

Our efforts to date have focused primarily on historic whaling and mining on Svalbard, but we also plan to expand efforts to the South Pole, with additional projects focused on whaling and seal hunting beginning in the next year.

This year’s workshop will continue the process of data sharing, presentation of results, and planning for the future work of the consortium and its members. Michigan Technological University’s Industrial Archaeology program will be the host for this session, providing accommodations for accepted presenters. We expect the formal portions of the workshop to take place on April 28 and 29, with opportunities for touring some local industrial heritage sites on the 30th (and possibly beyond).

We encourage scholars who might be interested in our projects and possible inclusion in the consortium to consider attending. Feel free to contact us at the address below to discuss possible participation. A future circular will include more details.

Patrick Martin
Professor of Archaeology
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, Michigan 49931
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it