Dr. Silke Reeploeg is an Associate Professor of History at Ilisimatusarfik/University of Greenland researching intercultural links in cultural and social history, Nordic studies and critical methodologies. Her current research focuses on how coloniality shapes Arctic histories and cultures. Before moving to Greenland, Dr. Reeploeg completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the University of Karlstad, Sweden and worked with the Centre for History, University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland (based in the Shetland Islands). She was also a visiting research fellow (funded by the Norwegian Research Council) at Volda University College in Norway. Her recent research in Arctic memory cultures applies critical methodologies, especially those available from Indigenous scholarship, to both micro/macrohistorical topics in social and cultural history.  

1. Your most recent publication is a journal article, “Unthinking historical thinking: lessons from the Arctic”, published in the History Education Research Journal. Please tell readers a little about what the article is about.

Having spent some time researching and teaching in the Arctic, I was surprised about the absence of Indigenous scholarship, which I found missing in our Nordic-style curricula.  I was really puzzled by the wide variety of Indigenous historical perspectives and scholarship available, that was clearly not being read or utilised. This article explains why that has happened across the Arctic, and in Greenland in particular, and how ‘historical thinking’ is in need of a paradigm shift, in order to address its own colonial mentality. 

2. What motivated you to delve into this topic in your article?

Two things really motivated me. First was coming across ‘thinking like a historian’ activities in a textbook that were limited to a weird caricature of what I, as a historian, do. The second was realizing that this caricature had been transformed into a version of ‘historical thinking’ that was not only colonial, but seemed to actively reproduce ignorance and injustice via the educational system.  

3. How is the theory and methodology used in this article inspired by the literature on historical knowledge and education in which the article is situated?

The theory and methodology of this article was primarily inspired by Indigenous scholarship around historical knowledge and education. I initially wanted to write a simple literature review of this body of literature, so readers could engage with the various arguments on their own terms. I then came across the work of Dr Paulette Steeves, and her fantastic concept of ‘pyro-epistemology’. This challenged me to be more intentional about which fire I was going to give air to in my research and teaching praxis.

4. Why do you think the research in your article is needed/value added to your research field? And what do you hope are the main takeaways from the piece for its readers?

One of the peer reviewers described the article as “thoughtful paper with a sophisticated level of analysis”, while the other was concerned that “the author seems to misrepresent other scholars to ‘fit’ the agenda”, so there is definitely quite a bit of scope to misunderstand the value (or lack of) that my article has added to the research field of history education research. Overall, I hope that the main takeaways from this piece for its readers is that intercultural conversations are possible, but only if you want to listen. In essence, my article is not about Indigenous knowledge, or applying Indigenous methodologies, but about how to relate to existing Indigenous scholarship, on both a personal and professional level. Historical knowledge and education are both deeply entrenched in colonial worldviews. This means that the work of the historian and history educator is to both reflect on and counter the biases, power structures that continue to exist, as well as make counter-realities possible (rather than continue to be complicit in their maintenance and transmission).   

5. How can readers access your article? Is it available open access/free?

Readers can access the article for free. It is open access and available free online.

6. What’s next for you in your research?

Having had some great responses to this article from both history educators and researchers, I would like to investigate the role of history education in addressing epistemic injustices, perhaps in a larger, international, research project. I am also writing a book chapter for the Routledge Handbook of Nordic Memory Studies (2024), which focuses on the transnational, and intercultural, nature of a nineteenth century Greenlandic Inuit travel memoir. Looking forward to the next few years, I am involved in various Nordic and Arctic research networks, so watch this space for more invitations to unlearn together!

Published by Women in the Arctic and Antarctic