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This NSF-supported conference examines the impetus for (and the impact upon) science, society, and culture of the International Polar Years (IPYs) of 1882-83 and 1932-33, and the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58, as well as how historical perspectives might be useful for those involved in the current IPY in 2007-2008. Speakers will explore the origins of these efforts, their political dimensions, and their consequences. Themes will include the place of the poles in human imagination, discipline formation, cultural nationalism, politics, and trans-nationality; the emergence of the modern geosciences; the uses of new technologies to explore the poles; changing assessments of the nature of human cultures in high latitudes; and polar contributions to environmental awareness. The final session of the conference, "Polar History: Perspectives on Globalization in the Geosciences," will be the plenary session of the annual meeting of the History of Science Society, held this year at the Marriott Crystal Gateway.

The conference is a part of the Smithsonian Institution’s effort to promote IPY 2007-2008, as well as the legacy of the previous IPY/IGY ventures. An earlier Smithsonian-sponsored IPY symposium has been held in May 2007 under the title “Smithsonian at the Poles: Contributions to the International Polar Year 2007–2008 Science.” The proceedings of the symposium will be published as a special volume under the Smithsonian Scholarly Publications series.

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Location:
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Smithsonian Institution
1100 Jefferson Drive, S.W.
Washington, DC, USA 20013