Negotiating Globality and Multidisciplinarity: A Case Study from the Centre d’études nordiques, 1960 – 1990

Abstract

Inaugurated in 1961, the Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), based at Laval University (Quebec, Canada), is a pioneering institution in French-speaking Canada in the field of northern studies. This paper analyzes the transformation of the CEN’s research program between 1960 and 1990. It highlights two specific points of rupture: the erasure of a global approach to northern studies, and the gradual loss of multidisciplinarity. By analyzing these changes, the current work leads to a better understanding of the reorientation of northern research in Canada during the second half of the 20th century. Embedded in the contemporary history of the province of Quebec, and of Canada in so far as the latter is viewed as an Arctic nation, the study of the CEN’s trajectory offers valuable insights into the evolution of the scientific field, particularly in regard to the specialization of research practices.