The Satellite at the End of the World:Infrastructural Encounters in North Greenland

In this chapter, I examine processes of place-making in Qaanaaq, North Greenland which display how its marginality is produced on different scales. I focus on the mutual co-shaping of local everyday practices and infrastructural systems, which I term ‘infrastructural encounters’. Through stories of key infrastructural sites in Qaanaaq, such as its hotel, satellite ground station and telecommunication station, as well as the local concept “down south” which describes the world south of Qaanaaq, the chapter highlights how infrastructural encounters act in the ongoing making of Qaanaaq, leading to extractive processes in the circulation of people and information, marginalization of Qaanaaq’s internet users and remote control of infrastructure. I draw on fieldwork conducted across multiple sites in Greenland, including interviews with locals and representatives from various functions in Qaanaaq. Through this exploration of infrastructure and everyday life, the chapter sheds light on the ways in which marginality is produced and sustained, and the role that telecommunication infrastructures play in shaping the experiences of those positioned as living ‘on the margins’.In this chapter, I examine processes of place-making in Qaanaaq, North Greenland which display how its marginality is produced on different scales. I focus on the mutual co-shaping of local everyday practices and infrastructural systems, which I term ‘infrastructural encounters’. Through stories of key infrastructural sites in Qaanaaq, such as its hotel, satellite ground station and telecommunication station, as well as the local concept “down south” which describes the world south of Qaanaaq, the chapter highlights how infrastructural encounters act in the ongoing making of Qaanaaq, leading to extractive processes in the circulation of people and information, marginalization of Qaanaaq’s internet users and remote control of infrastructure. I draw on fieldwork conducted across multiple sites in Greenland, including interviews with locals and representatives from various functions in Qaanaaq. Through this exploration of infrastructure and everyday life, the chapter sheds light on the ways in which marginality is produced and sustained, and the role that telecommunication infrastructures play in shaping the experiences of those positioned as living ‘on the margins’

A place to stand upon: the development of a human rights compliance assessment for companies

"Dieser Artikel diskutiert die zentralen theoretischen und konzeptionellen Herausforderungen bezüglich der Festlegung des Verantwortungsbereiches von Unternehmungen in Bezug auf Menschenrechte. Der Beitrag geht davon aus, dass Menschenrechtspflichten von Regierungen für den Unternehmenskontext übersetzt werden können. Der Artikel untersucht die methodologischen und praktischen Grenzen von aktuellen Initiativen, die auf die Reformulierung internationaler Menschenrechtsnormen für Unternehmungen zielen. Schließlich gibt der Artikel einen Überblick über die Funktionsweise und den Mehrwert des 'Human Rights Compliance Assessment' (HRCA), welches vom Danish Institute for Human Rights entwickelt wurde." (Autorenreferat)"This article discusses the main theoretical and conceptual challenges of defining the scope of corporate responsibilities with regard to human rights. The article argues that it is possible to modify the human rights obligations of governments to a business context. The article then examines the methodological as well as practical limitations of existing initiatives to rewrite international human rights law for companies. Finally, the article outlines the functionality and added value of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment (HRCA) developed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights." (author's abstract