Geir Hønneland discusses some of the big questions in social science: What is identity? What is the role of identity and narrative in the study of international relations? The location is the Kola Peninsula, the most heavily militarized area of the world during the Cold War, now set to become Europe's next big oil playground.

GEIR HØNNELAND is Research Director at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Tromsø, Norway. He has published widely on Russian environmental politics and international relations in the European North.

Author PrefacePreface by Iver Neumann Introduction The Kola Peninsula: Politics, Society, International Networks How to be a Northerner: Distinguishing North from South How to be a Russian: Distinguishing East from West Living in the Northern Environment Narrative, Identity and International Relations References