ABSTRACT
The introductory chapter frames the main themes of the book, such as relational thinking (the ‘ontological turn’ in humanities), the bringing together of historical, oral and material sources in exploring ancient cosmologies and environmental relations and questions related to long-term continuities and cultural change. The character of northern lifeways is deeply embedded in local environments and the dynamics of its change, which will be explored in the introduction, and the primary area of geographical focus and characteristics of the northern cultures and societies will be outlined and situated in the context of the wider, European or global world. A key theme running through the chapter and indeed the entire book is crossing the modern/premodern divide and studying the relationships between modern and premodern cosmologies, ways of life and perceptions of the world.
