
Elena Adasheva-Klein is a PhD candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology at Yale University. Her doctoral research explores human-environment relations and urban infrastructure in the Russian Arctic. Elena’s interests also include Arctic science diplomacy and governance. Elena holds an MPhil in Sociocultural Anthropology from Yale University and a B.A. in Anthropology and Studio Art from Hunter College of the City University of New York where she was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. Elena is committed to fostering intercultural communication and promoting collaborations between international actors in the Arctic. She spoke with Roan Hollander about her Yale Environmental Humanities project, Perceptions of Light in the Arctic Environment.
Project Overview:
My short-term ethnographic project explores the human perception of light in the Arctic environment during the polar day on an expedition cruise. Through conversational interviews and informal discussions with passengers and crew, we delved into individuals’ observations, experiences, and contemplations about light in the polar landscape, as well as how they articulate their perceptions. The fieldwork for this project took place in August 2023. The environmental humanities grant will partially cover the final stage of this work, including transcriptions of interviews, organizing and analyzing data, and preparing the presentation of findings for public outreach.
RH: What is Perceptions of Light in the Arctic Environment about? What questions does the project explore?
Perceptions of Light in the Arctic Environment: Ethnography of an Expedition explores how people experience light in the northern landscape during the polar day. I conducted the research aboard Le Commandant Charcot, an icebreaking tourist vessel, during a cruise from Longyearbyen (Norway) to the geographic North Pole and back to Longyearbyen in July-August 2023. My research was part of the science program under the ARICE-PONANT initiative. The Yale Environmental Humanities grant partially supported the project’s post-fieldwork stage, including the creation of some public-facing materials.
The project focuses on the phenomenology (human perception) of light in the Arctic and explores how passengers and crew aboard the vessel experience light in the polar landscape. Through conversational interviews, I investigated individuals’ observations and reflections on their perceptions of light in this unique environment. I sought to examine questions such as: How does light shape human perception of the Arctic landscape during an expedition cruise at high latitudes? How do people perceive and describe light in the Arctic during the polar day?
Drawing on phenomenological and sensory anthropology, along with interdisciplinary studies of light and dark, the project introduces a novel perspective in Arctic social research. From a practical standpoint, the findings could offer valuable insights for planning future polar expeditions, including how light conditions may influence the experiences of those navigating the Arctic during extended daylight periods.
What inspired you to take on this project?
This project is linked to my dissertation research, which focuses on the ethnography of light and dark in the Siberian Arctic. Scholars have long emphasized the central role light plays in shaping social life, influencing well-being, sustainability, and more. This idea that light is inherently social has driven my focus on light as an understudied aspect of Arctic social sciences.
The Arctic Circle, defined as the imaginary line around 66°33′ north, marks a region with distinct light conditions. The sun remains below the horizon for at least one day in winter and stays above the horizon for at least one day in summer. Human communities in the Arctic have engaged with light in distinctive ways for thousands of years. Today, light continues to shape the socio-economic, political, and cultural aspects of life in the North, influencing human-environment relations and identities among Indigenous and non-Indigenous northerners, workers, scientists, and visitors.
From September 2021 to June 2022, I conducted nine months of fieldwork in a small town in Northern Siberia. My research confirmed the profound impact that light and dark have on social life and well-being in the Far North. As my research evolved, my focus shifted from my initial questions about environmental governance to more human-centered questions about how light and dark shape relationships with place, space, and the environment. Experiencing the varying seasons of light—from the regular day-night cycle to the polar night, followed by the return of the sun with extended daylight hours, and then the polar day—led me to explore how these light cycles influence connections to both urban spaces and natural landscapes.
To explore these themes, I employed creative ethnographic research methods while also addressing the challenges of speaking and writing about light and dark. My dissertation work gradually incorporated insights from phenomenology, sensory ethnography, and creative ethnographic writing. Throughout this process, visual materials have been essential in recording and interpreting the experience of light and dark in the Arctic.
You said your fieldwork took place in July 2023 on board an ice-breaking tourist vessel. That’s an unusual site for research. How did you carry it out? What did you learn and what has the process of synthesizing your findings post-fieldwork been?
For the observation and autoethnographic part, I regularly observed light conditions and engaged in observational writing sessions, either independently or, on occasion, with members of the expedition team. I documented the Arctic landscape in various light conditions through photos and videos from the ship and during landings. My presence in the landscape, whether still or in motion, was central to this experience-based ethnographic research.
For the interview part, I invited passengers to participate in interviews at the beginning of the cruise with the help of the science officer. I organized and conducted conversational interviews, each lasting 30-60 minutes, with passengers and crew members. If interviewees agreed, I recorded the interviews using an audio recorder. In addition, I informally spoke to members of the expedition team and passengers on decks and during landing activities. These informal conversations and shared experiences on-site provided valuable data for my research.
What will you do with your research next?
I am analyzing my ethnographic data and sharing my findings with the relevant community. This involves organizing, transcribing, and translating interviews. I also am creating a shareable product: an online and printed booklet summarizing my research findings.
Preliminary results indicate that perceptions of light depended on individuals’ professional occupations, interests, and sociocultural backgrounds. Conversational interviews confirmed the challenges in describing light, with a few exceptions. Notably, the use of the native language (French) to describe light made a significant difference in how French-speaking participants expressed their perceptions, which is an important consideration for future research design. Lastly, the project allowed me to explore the possibilities and limitations of conducting social science research aboard Le Commandant Charcot, a unique setting for exploring various under-researched topics in polar social sciences.
How have the Environmental Humanities impacted and influenced the development of this project?
Completing the Graduate Certificate in the Environmental Humanities significantly impacted my work by shifting my focus towards humanistic anthropology and human-environment relations. The Environmental Humanities have provided an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates philosophy, social and visual anthropology, and creative nonfiction writing. This framework has influenced how I approach the lived experiences of individuals in Arctic environments.
Drawing from the Environmental Humanities, I also have been able to incorporate various writing styles, such as ethnographic writing and creative non-fiction, into my research. This approach has allowed me to focus on experience-based knowledge, making it accessible and meaningful to both academic and non-academic audiences, while being integrated into disciplinary scholarship.
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Acknowledgement: This project was carried out as part of the EU-funded ARICE project (EU grant agreement No. 730965) under the Ships and Platforms of Opportunity Programme, in collaboration with the company PONANT. I would like to thank PONANT and the crew of Le Commandant Charcot for their support, including the ship time and technical assistance. I am grateful to the Yale Environmental Humanities Grant for partially supporting the post-fieldwork stage of this project.