Imaginary | North
International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic
Understanding and “recomplexifying” the North, Winter and the Arctic
The International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic, located at the Université du Québec à Montréal, is one of the world's leading centers of cultural expertise on the North and the Arctic.
Le Laboratory was founded and is directed by Daniel Chartier.
Le Laboratory is a place of research, documentation, dissemination, promotion and expertise on images of the North and Winter in culture, literature, cinema, visual arts and society. In particular, it aims to foster comparisons between different northern cultures: from Québec, Inuit world (Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, Nunavut and Greenland, in particular), Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Faroe Islands), Finland, Russia, Alaska, English Canada and of First Nations.
Since it was founded in 2003, the Laboratory has brought together over 800 researchers, artists and writers (from Québec, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands, the Inuit world, Russia, Canada, Alaska, the First Nations, as well as Europe, India, Argentina and Japan) who form a unique research environment, based on the infrastructure developed at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and who study images of the North by promoting comparisons between the cultures of the circumpolar space, as well as by analyzing works from all countries that deal with the representation of the North.
International collaborations between Québec and other cultures, as well as with Québec regions and First Nations and Inuit communities, are varied and help to establish new contacts between people, languages and cultures, on a basis of equality.
The Laboratory publishes 4 book series: Jardin de givre, Droit au Pôle, Imagoborealis and Isberg, and participates in numerous other editions. To date, Le Laboratoire books have been published in 20 different languages.
The Laboratory's work is having a positive effect on the recognition and understanding of Inuit and First Nations works and viewpoints, and in this respect, is helping to create new bonds of equality and respect in the circumpolar space.
The Laboratory organizes lecture series, roundtables, meetings and international symposia.
Undertake a program of study, research or creation on the North and the Arctic
The famous geographer and linguist Louis-Edmond Hamelin, who invented the notion of “nordicity” now used worldwide, said that the North and the Arctic were the geographic spaces about which we had the least knowledge. With initiatives for Indigenous reconciliation and recognition of circumpolar cultures, this objective is all the more true today: we need studies, research, master's and doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers, creative artists and writers to carry out this major collective research project.
Several programs at the Université du Québec à Montréal offer the opportunity to carry out research in this field: M.A. and Ph.D. in literary studies; Ph.D. in semiology; M.A. and Ph.D. in art history; M.A. and Ph.D. in communications; Ph.D. in environmental sciences. Many doctoral students have also opted for cotutelle, which enables them to enroll in a program at the Université du Québec à Montréal and another university abroad (in France, Norway, Finland or Iceland, for example), and thus obtain two degrees at the end of their course. The International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic offers a stimulating research and dissemination environment, with numerous international collaborations and exchange opportunities, as well as with regional players and First Nations and Inuit communities, within the many research projects carried out there. The master's theses and doctoral dissertations produced by our students are a major source of new knowledge about the North and the Arctic.
In all cases, don't hesitate to contact us to discuss your projects and training and research opportunities.
Daniel CHARTIER, professor, chartier.daniel@uqam.ca
Director, International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic
Support the Laboratory
The Laboratory pursues research, training, dissemination, promotion and expertise on the North and the Arctic, in collaboration with regional, Inuit and First Nations partners, and some thirty countries and cultures in the circumpolar world. To carry out its mandate, it relies in particular on the support of the public and researchers, notably via a dedicated fund set up by the Fondation de l'UQAM, to which you are invited to subscribe. All institutional rights to Laboratoire publications are paid into this fund, which is used to provide support and scholarships for students, and to carry out research, translation, dissemination and promotion activities.
To make a donation to the Fonds du Laboratoire à la Fondation de l'UQAM.
Contact
The Laboratory is located at 45° 30' 160” North latitude, equidistant from the North Pole and the Equator, on the 4th floor (J-4660) of the Judith-Jasmin Pavilion of the Université du Québec à Montréal. It is part of the university's Department of Literary Studies. He is also a member of the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la littérature et la culture au Québec (CRILCQ).
The Laboratory is funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Recherche Innovation Québec, Université du Québec à Montréal, Fondation de l'UQAM, and its donors. Its projects are funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Fonds québécois de recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC), Foreign Affairs Canada, the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie du Québec, the Research Council of Iceland (RANNIS), the Canadian International Polar Year program, the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, the Government of Greenland, the Nunatsiavut Government, the Department of Canadian Heritage, DIKU (Direktoratet for internasjonalisering og kvalitetsutvikling i høgare utdanning), and the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The Université du Québec à Montréal recognizes that it is located on an ancestral territory that has long served as a place for life, meetings and exchanges between several Indigenous nations. UQAM pays tribute to these nations and is committed to working with them in a spirit of respect and friendship.
International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic
Université du Québec à Montréal
Case postale 8888, succursale « Centre-ville »
Montréal (Québec)
Canada H3C 3P8
YouTube YouTube ImaginaireNord
Email imaginairedunord@uqam.ca