'Hard Times Are Coming': Indeterminacy, Prophecies, Apocalypse, and Dogs

Research output: Contribution to conferenceUnpublished paper

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Building on Gwich’in elaborations on the Biblical End of the World, and incorporating vernacular prophecies of such indeterminate ending, the frequently expressed statement ‘hard times are coming’ – by Gwich’in (Elders) in Northern Canada – sheds different insights into human-animal relations. Thus to counteract these apocalyptic hardships, the Gwich’in have emphasized their reliance on "working dogs". The argument follows that whilst snowmobiles depend on monetary funds for gas and mechanical parts, the "working dogs", and subsequently Gwich’in, can live off the land without such dependency on
the broader economic system. In this paper I exemplify how the revitalization of the use of "working dogs" by a number of Gwich’in can be understood as a possibility made by Gwich’in with dogs to break away from the uncertainties and
indeterminate collapse of the capitalist system.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages1
Publication statusPublished - May 2014
EventEighth International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS VIII) - Prince George, Canada
Duration: 22 May 201526 May 2015

Conference

ConferenceEighth International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS VIII)
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityPrince George
Period22/05/1526/05/15

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