News & Press Releases
22 August 2025
On 15 August 2025, the ashes of Jean Malaurie were inhumated in the cemetery of Siorapaluk, North-West Greenland, in a ceremony attended by his son Guillaume, his three grandsons, and many members of the local community.
Siorapaluk holds a special place in Malaurie’s life: it was here, during the winter of 1950–51, that he lived among the Inughuit, an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview and inspired his classic book The Last Kings of Thule (1955).
During the ceremony, a message from H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco was read aloud by Professor Jan Borm, Director of the Malaurie Institute of Arctic Research Monaco-UVSQ. The Prince paid tribute to Malaurie as a lifelong defender of Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, recalling their shared travels and their common passion for the philosophy and culture of the Far North. (to read the full text please visit Miarctic.com)
The ceremony concluded with hymns and prayers offered by the community of Siorapaluk.
Who Was Jean Malaurie?
Jean Malaurie, born on 22 December 1922 in Mainz, Germany, and passing away on 5 February 2024 in Dieppe, France, was one of the great intellectual explorers of the twentieth century. A geographer, anthropologist, ethnographer, writer, and pioneer of polar studies, he devoted his life to understanding both the physical landscapes of the Arctic and the spiritual and cultural worlds of its peoples.
Educated at prestigious Parisian schools, such as Lycée Henri IV and later at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris, Malaurie concluded his academic journey with a State Doctorate from the Sorbonne in 1962, a qualification that paved the way for a professorship. Yet his true classroom was the Arctic. Beginning in 1948, he undertook more than thirty expeditions to the Far North, mapping geomorphological structures, studying paleoclimatology, and documenting the life and resilience of Indigenous communities. On 29 May 1951, together with his Inuit companion Kutsikitsoq, he became the first human to reach the geomagnetic North Pole by dog sled, a feat symbolic of his philosophy of shared knowledge and partnership with the Arctic peoples.
Malaurie’s career was as expansive as the landscapes he studied. He served as Director of Research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and founded the Arctic Studies Centre at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), where he also established the first Chair of Polar Studies in French academia. His intellectual influence extended far beyond the Arctic: in 1955, he created the landmark book series Terre Humaine, giving voice to ordinary lives and ethnographic testimonies, a series that would reshape narrative anthropology and remain under his guidance for more than six decades.
His leadership bridged continents. In Russia, he became Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Northern Peoples and Honorary President for Life of the State Polar Academy in Saint Petersburg. At UNESCO, he was named Goodwill Ambassador in 2007 for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the environment and the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples.
Malaurie’s vision was deeply humanistic: he saw the Arctic not only as a space of scientific inquiry but as a homeland of peoples whose knowledge and identity must be respected and defended. Through his 31 Arctic expeditions, his scholarship, and his writings, he left behind a legacy that is both scientific and moral, a reminder that the destiny of the Arctic is inseparable from the destiny of humanity itself.
Source: Miarctic.com, photos: Jan Borm Map: Arctic Portal
Related news & articles:
Jean Malaurie, 1922-2024, R.I.P.
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7 August 2025
In a recent editorial published in Advances in Polar Science (Volume 36, Issue 2), renowned science diplomat Prof. Paul Arthur Berkman shares his vision for the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5), emphasizing global inclusion as a cornerstone. Prof. Berkman explores current and accelerating momentum to implement science with society across the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development 2024–2033 with IPY-5 as a guiding light.
31 July 2025
Do not miss your chance to join the 17th International Green Energy Conference (IGEC25) and the 6th International Conference on Energy and AI at the early bird rate!
30 July 2025
Iceland is home to 269 named glaciers, showcasing nearly every glacial type found worldwide, from massive ice caps to smaller cirque and mountain glaciers. Dominating the southeast of the island is Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in Europe by volume, covering approximately 7,900 km², an area about three times the size of Luxembourg.
25 July 2025
The Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES), the largest annual Arctic policy and business event in the United States, will return to Anchorage next week from July 30 to August 1, 2025.
21 July 2025
A newly released book, Reluctant Conquest: American Wealth, Power, and Science in the Arctic, by Kathryn C. Lavelle, offers a sweeping history of the United States’ evolving relationship with the Arctic. From the American Revolution through the acquisition of Alaska to the present day, Lavelle traces how economic interests, scientific exploration, and strategic concerns have shaped American engagement in the region.
18 July 2025
July 17, 2025 – Iceland - The ongoing volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula continues to make its presence felt, not just in the immediate area, but across large parts of Iceland, where air quality has deteriorated significantly in recent days. Towns in the north, including Akureyri, are now experiencing elevated levels of air pollution, though experts remain divided on the exact cause.
17 July 2025
July 2025 has delivered the warmest day of the summer so far in Iceland, with numerous weather stations across the country reporting record-breaking temperatures. In several locations, the new records surpassed previous ones by an astonishing margin, in some cases, over 8°C, a rare and striking leap in meteorological history.
11 July 2025
During the vibrant Ysyakh Olonkho festival in Neryungri, Sakha Republic, the Indigenous Peoples of Northern Yakutia captured the hearts of visitors with a moving showcase of cultural richness, ancestral wisdom, and spiritual expression.
The festival’s Indigenous pavilion became a center of attraction, where representatives of the Evenks, Evens, Yukaghirs, Dolgans, Chukchis, and Russian Arctic Old-Settlers welcomed guests into their world through storytelling, traditional dress, music, and dance.
4 July 2025
The peer-reviewed, open-access journal Advances in Polar Science (APS) has published Volume 36, Issue 2 (June 2025), featuring a range of cutting-edge studies on polar climate dynamics, ecosystems, seismic activity, governance, and related topics. This issue features six original research papers and an editorial exploring themes with global relevance, from sea ice deformation in the Arctic to decarbonizing shipping in polar waters.
30 June 2025
The 17th International Green Energy Conference (IGEC25) focuses on the development of green energy sources and the use of artificial intelligence in energy systems, for the benefit of the environment, people, and businesses.
26 June 2025
SAVE THE DATE! The 11th China–Nordic Arctic Cooperation (CNARC) Symposium will be held from February 1st to 2nd, 2026, in Tromsø, Norway.
The Symposium is held by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) and co-convened by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) and the Secretariat of CNARC.
More information about registration, call for papers, and agenda will be published soon on the CNARC website.
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24 June 2025
From 280 to 500 years in just two years, Iceland’s oldest known plant turns out to be a long-living relic of climate history, quietly thriving in the lava fields of the north.
Until recently, the oldest known living plant in Iceland was a humble juniper nestled in the erosion-scarred highlands of Hólasandur, estimated to be about 280 years old. But now, a newly discovered specimen near Lake Mývatn has more than shattered that record, it is believed to be at least 500 years old, potentially even older.
23 June 2025
Reykjavík is set to host one of the most anticipated gatherings in the global energy and technology calendar this October. The 17th International Green Energy Conference, the 6th International Conference on Energy and AI, and the Arctic Energy Forum will come together under one roof at Harpa Conference Center (12-15 October 2025), Iceland’s iconic venue for innovation, science, and dialogue.
Prior to the well-known Arctic Circle Assembly (16-18 October 2025).
19 June 2025
Today, June 19th, known in Iceland as Kvenréttindadagurinn or Women’s Rights Day, marks 110 years since women in Iceland first gained the right to vote and run for parliament. On this day in 1915, King Christian X of Denmark signed a new constitution for Iceland, granting women aged 40 and over both voting rights and eligibility for election to the national parliament, Alþingi.
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