Paper short abstract:

In this paper we will examine local/global interplay in relation to growing "Arctic" tourism in Iceland and contextualize in particular puffins and polar bears within the imaginings of the North where an exotic, dangerous and dynamic landscape is a dominant feature.

Paper long abstract:

Can one fit the Arctic into a suitcase? The simple answer would no. However tourists traveling to Iceland sometimes try the impossible when buying "Arctic" souvenirs that can easily be packed in their suitcase. In the downtown Reykjavík area the shelves in every tourist shop are now flooded with "Arctic" objects and symbols of various sorts, including stuffed puffins and polar bears. As a symbol of power, conservation, climate change and Arctic cooperation the polar bear carries various meanings in the Arctic including an emerging sub-regional folkloric image in the North Atlantic. The most popular artefact among tourists however seems to be the Arctic puffin in all shapes and sizes. Within every Icelandic tourist shop one can find puffins on a mug, puffin key rings, puffin miniatures, postcards and magnets. This clown of the air has, as it seems, become a new national symbol and takes part in the positioning of Iceland firmly within the contemporary Arctic cultural and political context. In this paper we will take a closer look at at this interplay and contextualize Iceland within the imaginings of the North where an exotic, dangerous and dynamic landscape is a dominant feature. The result is a seemingly pristine construct, exempt from the Anthropocene, and thus serves well as a dreamscape for the growing global Arctic appetite.