Saara Matala's Lecture for Promotion to Oavlönad docent

This lecture discusses how historical research helps us understand long-term transformations in the relationship between technology and society and why this perspective matters at a university dedicated to shaping the future.

The empirical focus of the lecture draws on Matala’s research on Arctic maritime history, with a particular emphasis on icebreaking technologies. Through icebreakers, the talk illustrates how Arctic technologies have influenced global political dynamics, enabled economic development in the North, and reshaped local communities’ relationships with their surrounding environments.