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Short Abstract

20th century conflicts reshaped the Arctic, leaving lasting aviation legacies. This project uses archaeology, ethnography, and citizen science to document airfields, crash sites, and memories, combining local knowledge with research to map, preserve, and reinterpret Arctic aviation heritage.

Abstract

The 20th century conflicts transformed the circumpolar Arctic in profound ways, leaving behind extensive material and cultural legacies of military aviation and its infrastructure. This project investigates the traces of aviation to address: (1) what was the strategic and cultural role of military aviation in the Arctic; (2) what kinds of material remains persist in the landscape; and (3) how do these traces continue to connect people, places, and narratives across time and space. In most countries, recent past military aviation sites are not formally protected as heritage, yet they remain important reminders of the past for local communities. Local people often hold the most detailed knowledge of these places, which makes their perspectives essential for documentation and interpretation. To capture this knowledge, the project develops a participatory methodology that integrates archaeological fieldwork, ethnographic research, and online crowdsourcing. This approach supports the co-production of new insights by combining local grassroots information with the other approaches. Particular attention is given to alternative and underexplored perspectives on aviation heritage, such as extraordinary or supernatural experiences embedded in northern oral traditions. Planned outputs include a research database and an open-access participatory mapping platform that enables citizens to contribute site knowledge, helping to uncover undocumented features and overlooked narratives. By combining archaeological, geographical, and anthropological approaches with citizen science, the project advances research on Arctic aviation heritage, empowers local communities to sustain their transgenerational memory practices, and offers a transferable methodological template for other global contexts.