Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the operationalisation of Arctic field expeditions as both theatres and foundations of post-war masculinities by young Oxford men. It asks what masculinity came to mean in this context and how cultures of masculinity were forged across three expeditions to Svalbard in the 1920s.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the operationalisation of Arctic field expeditions as both theatres and foundations of post-war varsity masculinities following WW1. It hones in on three Oxford University expeditions to Svalbard (1921-1924) organised largely by and for varsity men, many of whom had been too young to serve. Hence, they were seeking ways of asserting their masculinity amidst a society that valued military service above other markers of manhood. As one university explorer remarked, compared to warfare, exploration "only provide five percent of the danger. Small enough odds, but all that are readily attainable". Arctic exploration was linked to a compound notion of masculinity, drawing on ideals of science and alpinism, and positioned in relation to a changing society marked by urbanisation, industrialisation, and modernity configured in feminine terms. The paper examines the narrative strategies and material practices through which the university men sought to carve out a space for themselves to claim a sense of masculinity. It unpacks how a masculinist culture was gradually forged across three field seasons and across the different spaces at home and abroad where people, ideas, and artefacts relating to the expeditions were circulated. It asks what masculinity came to mean in the context of these expeditions and how it was communicated to domestic audiences to ensure its currency as a social resource. This is linked to the emergence of a 'new' culture of undergraduate exploration which originated with these expeditions and which was subsequently institutionalised with the formation of the Oxford University Exploration Club.