Can Geo Talks is a dynamic speaker series featuring some of the most fascinating individuals working in the fields of geography, exploration, environmental science, journalism, history and more.
Past presenters include world-renowned cave diver and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth, actor and comedian Sir Michael Palin, award-winning photographer Michelle Valberg, and bestselling author and RCGS Westaway Explorer-in-Residence Adam Shoalts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Can Geo Talks went virtual, with livestreamed presentations from expert ornithologist Dr. David Bird, author and journalist J.B. MacKinnon, biologist Suzanne Simard, historian Margaret MacMillan and more.
We are excited to welcome audiences back to Canada’s Centre for Geography and Exploration for in-person talks. Upcoming events will be posted here. Unless otherwise specified, all events will take place at 50 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 — Kenn Harper: Knud Rasmussen and the Fifth Thule Expedition
Greenlanders have always been interested in the Akilinermiut — “the people on the other side of the water” — and Knud Rasmussen was no exception. Throughout the early 1900s, he held fast to a dream: to visit the most isolated Inuit in North America and document their beliefs and experiences before their lives were irrevocably changed by an influx of missionaries, traders and adventurers. In 1921, accompanied by four Danes, one Kalaaleq (West Greenlander) and six Inughuit, he embarked on the Fifth Thule Expedition, a three-year ethnographic expedition that culminated in an epic journey by dogsled across the top of North America, from Danish Island, Nunavut to East Cape, Siberia. In this fascinating talk celebrating the centennial of the expedition, author Kenn Harper explores Rasmussen’s remarkable achievement and its enduring legacy.
Admission for this event is pay-what-you-can. Your donations help us to deliver more geographical programming in Ottawa and across Canada.
