Resilience of Arctic Communities: Concept, Methodology and Research Directions

Abstract

This article is aimed at scientific review of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of social (community) resilience and its empirical applicability in the context of territorial development of the Arctic. The relevance of this research is determined by the need to solve the problems of sustainable development of the Arctic region in the context of economic, social and natural challenges. Using the method of knowledge contextualization, the paper analyses various definitions of the concept of resili-ence, and describes factors and strategies for community resilience. It concludes that social resilience is the ability of communities to be flexible and able to adapt in response to external influences. Social resilience is difficult to measure and control; however, resilience factors are potentially observable using quantitative and qualitative methods, enabling the development of community resilience strategies. These strategies should be based on local realities, since they will take different forms depending on the community, and the idea of resilience itself will manifest in different ways. This justifies the need for empirical studies that would provide longitudinal data on social resilience in a particular area. Using the Arctic region as an example, the article presents foreign and Russian experience of research on social resilience in the context of global changes. It concludes that the development of resilience in Arctic communities requires a systematic approach, which should be based on knowledge of how local communities respond to global challenges.

Keywords

• resilience
• social system
• contextualization
• theory
• practice
• methodology
• sustainable development
• arctic
• local community