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nordicity
DCHP-2 (Jul 2013)
n. — Geography
the degree of northernness of an Arctic region.
Type: 1. Origin — The concept of nordicity was developed by Canadian geographer Louis-Edmond Hamelin in the 1960s. Nordicity is calculated by considering ten factors that are "relevant to the major northern situations: latitude, summer heat above 5.6°C (42°F), annual cold below 0°C (32°F), types of ice (in the ground, on land, or on water), total precipitation, development of the vegetation cover, accessibility (air or surface), number of inhabitants or regional population density, and finally, degree of economic activity" (see Hamelin 1978: 17-18). Each factor has a maximum score of 100 VAPO, or valeurs polaires, and theoretically the geographic North Pole has the maximum 1000 VAPO. Hamelin's theory posits that "northern" territories should be identified on a continuum of natural and human factors, rather than on a few criteria. As seen in Chart 1, the term is virtually restricted to Canada. See Grace (2007) for a cultural-historical interpretation of the "idea of north" in the Canadian context.
Nordicity also refers to a concept of "The North" which is particular to Canadians and the Canadian identity (see the 1992 and 2000 quotations).
COD-2 lists the term as "Cdn".
Nordicity also refers to a concept of "The North" which is particular to Canadians and the Canadian identity (see the 1992 and 2000 quotations).
COD-2 lists the term as "Cdn".
Quotations
1977
The northern dimension is what makes the difference. Being Canadian implies having a sense of Nordicity. Nordicity can be seen as a lens through which Canadians can reflect on that part of the globe they inhabit - its physical environment, its history and its socio-political structures. In fact Canada can be seen as the new circumpolar country in North America [...] Nordicity, after all, is not a new idea. As Thomas D'Arcy McGee told his colleagues in The Quebec House of Assembly more than 100 years ago: I have spoken... with a sole single desire for the increase, prosperity, freedom and honor of this incipient northern nation. I call it a northern nation - for such it must become if all of us but do our duty to the last.
1988
ONE CAN take endless censuses of the caribou population, or know all about the bad effects on the permafrost of heating basements in the Far North, or design doctoral programs in Arctic studies, but still miss the beginning of a "conscience of the North," according to well-known Quebec "nordicist" Louis-Edmond Hamelin. In his view, most Canadians, including specialists in the North as well as the literary luminaries who confuse pioneering with Canadian identity, have yet to develop a true "mental nordicity." Without it, he says, Canada can never expect to be "one country." And contemporary rendezvous with the northern environment are likely to constitute another voyage into errors, mess and disillusion.
1992
Best of all, Wiebe had elaborated in conversation, arguing that Canadians keep wishing the North was something other than it is: "We've got to recognize that we really are a nordic country, to stop pretending that winter isn't a normal season - to accept our nordicity."
There it was, the rationale I was seeking. By taking to the slopes I was accepting - and indeed celebrating - my nordicity. By spending money on ski equipment I was being an exemplary Canadian.
2000
"The North is not a lonely, forgotten place. The North is a very big reality in Canadian life, and the more Canadians who realize it, the better."
[Adrienne] Clarkson talked about the significance of the North to the country.
"A message that I would take back to the rest of Canadians and would always emphasize, is how important the North is to us and nordicity is to Canadian psyche. It's absolutely crucial to the centre of our being," said the Queen's representative to Canada.
"And I think the more people who get to see the North, the more people who travel here, the more they will understand that this is what makes us what we are."
2003
The film does not attempt to take a critical look at the Governor General, but it offers a revealing view of how she operates and how she sees her mission, which sets her apart from others who have held the office.
Clarkson has a passionate and persuasive view of nordicity and how it defines us. And there is something inspiring about moments when aboriginals come face to face with a Governor General whose very appearance signals that Canadian history is not merely the story of Europeans settling in North America.
2010
Many real people who have become, with time, the stuff of legend are deeply associated with the north or with, what Canadian geographer Louis-Edmond Hamelin calls, our "nordicity." Franklin, despite being British through and through, is now a Canadian icon because our writers, artists, filmmakers, poets, and singers have created his image for us by telling his story again and again.
References
- Hamelin (1978)
- Grace (2007)
- COD-2
Images
