Podcast Summary: New Books Network — "Cold Rush" with Sari Pietikäinen

Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Ingrid Piller
Guest: Professor Sari Pietikäinen
Topic: Critical Assemblage Analysis of a Heating Arctic

Overview

This episode dives into Professor Sari Pietikäinen’s 2024 book, Cold Rush: Critical Assemblage Analysis of a Heating Arctic. The conversation explores how formerly overlooked aspects of the Finnish Arctic—like berries, darkness, snow, and even silence—are being transformed into valuable commodities in the wake of climate change. Pietikäinen discusses her unique theoretical approach (“assemblage”), the ethical and practical challenges of commodification, and the impact of global warming on local communities, environment, and economies. The episode also investigates the role of language, affect, and discourse in shaping our perception of Arctic change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal and Academic Roots of the Project

[02:17-03:22]

• Pietikäinen explains the term "salmon widow," a local phrase for someone left solo during salmon fishing season, and how it led her into researching Arctic commodification.
• Her longstanding connection to Tornio River Valley in Finnish Lapland, both personally and academically, provided a unique vantage point for her research.

Quote:

“A salmon widow is a local term in Tornio River Valley for a person in a relationship that loses the other partner to salmon fever... during that time nothing else happens. Either we talk about fish, we fish, or we eat the fish.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (02:49)

2. The "Cold Rush" — Commodification of the Arctic

[03:38-06:48]

• Arctic natural resources once considered ordinary (e.g., cold, darkness, berries) are now sought-after commodities, especially in tourism.
• Climate change is making southern Europe less attractive for travelers, boosting Arctic destinations.
• The "cold rush" is a play on "gold rush": not just minerals, but allure of snow, northern lights, silence, and pristine nature are commodified for global markets.

Quote:

“The main rush is on the mining materials... but also what we call cold rush commodities nowadays: snow, darkness, northern lights, pristine nature, silence, the opportunity to ski during the day, go to a nice dinner during the night... Lapland is a major tourist destination that seems to be growing.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (05:18)

3. Rhizomatic Reading: Structure of the Book

[06:48-08:33]

• The book is structured so readers can "enter" from any chapter, following interests rather than a linear path—an approach inspired by Deleuze and Guattari.
• Each chapter can stand alone, mirroring real reading habits and diverse entry-points into complex topics.

Quote:

“Reading and writing rhizomatically... you have multiple entry points... you don’t have to read that kind of linearly through and through... I try to echo that in my writing.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (07:18)

4. Berries, Superfoods, and the Social-Ethical Complexities of Arctic Commodification

[08:33-11:39]

• Cloudberries and blueberries in Lapland are both a potential superfood industry and cultural touchstone, but most remain unpicked due to lack of labor.
• Attempts to ethically expand commercial berry-picking (using locals, then international and tourist pickers) have generally failed; locals guard their berry traditions and fields.
• The deep social networks and family relationships entwined with berry picking present challenges to commodification.

Quote:

“There are not enough bodies who do the picking... there is then ethical problems to bring people from different places or from the world, most recently from Thailand, to do the picking... I follow one project where they tried to do this ethically... the locals didn't want to keep their own berries for themselves.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (08:55)

5. Assemblages: Too Few Workers, Too Many Tourists

[11:39-13:33]

• Arctic regions face the paradox of labor scarcity in some sectors (berry picking) versus over-demand in others (tourism hotspots).
• Tourism jobs often require a mix of language and technical skills, but working conditions are rarely optimal.

Quote:

“These are vast areas that do not have big local population... there is always this tension that do we get enough workers for this particular season with the skills, linguistic skills and other skills…”
— Sari Pietikäinen (12:07)

6. Language, Segmentation, and the Tourism Workforce

[15:31-16:45]

• The tourism workforce is segmented by language and nation-specific market demands.
• Different guides and services cater to French, German, Australian, or domestic Finnish tourists, matching skills with tourist expectations.

Quote:

“It’s actually rather segmented... special branch for French speaking tourists or German speaking tourists... you are within this kind of a branch where you combine language skills with the specific activities that people from those countries want to come to Lapland.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (15:53)

7. Navigating Regulation and Opportunity

[16:45–18:01]

• Entrepreneurs, municipalities, and the state all play roles in organizing and regulating access to land, tourism services, and resources.
• The regulatory landscape is complex, often with conflicting priorities between economic development, environmental conservation, and traditional practices.

Quote:

“Maybe the municipality is really pushing for the economic development... but at the same time, the state can might be protecting the timber industry or national parks... navigating a complex terrain...”
— Sari Pietikäinen (17:02)

8. Assemblage Theory as Analytical Lens

[18:01–21:14]

• Pietikäinen explains her use of assemblage theory (inspired by Deleuze and Guattari) to entangle material, discursive, and affective aspects of Arctic commodification.
• The “northern lights chase,” for example, includes physical elements, storytelling, and emotions of awe—an assemblage not reducible to any single factor.

Quote:

“I was trying to find a way how to make sense of it so that I don’t lose from sight any of those aspects... and gradually it started to make sense... to think about this as a combination entanglement of material conditions... the discursive part of it... and then the affect.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (18:48)

9. Lessons for Climate Change Action

[21:14–23:34]

• Pietikäinen points out that sustainable solutions must consider the material, discursive, and affective dimensions.
• Policy often neglects the powerful role of discourse (how we talk and think about the Arctic) or emotion (locals’ and visitors’ attachment and commitment).

Quote:

“What I have been able to see here in arctic context, that during the different kinds of discussion, often the material and the affective side is emphasized, but maybe the discursive powers are often forgotten... all of them needs to be counted in is something that I would be at least curious to try out...”
— Sari Pietikäinen (22:04)

10. Salmon as Microcosm of Arctic Transformation

[23:34–26:40]

• Pietikäinen’s current research focuses on the salmon—once a simple economic resource, now endangered, with caretaking and identity shifts among local fishers.
• Extreme heat in Lapland is forcing rapid adaptation among both humans and salmon; traditional fishing roles are morphing into protector/guardian relationships.
• Comparative research with sites in Norway and Greenland is planned to explore these transformations further.

Quote:

“For instance, the transition of salmon being this economic resource to endangered species that needs taking care of, and maybe the fisherman moving from being a fisherman or fisher more to a protector... this summer was the hottest summer in the Finnish Lapland... people and animals and nature are struggling.”
— Sari Pietikäinen (23:59)

Notable Moments

• Rhizomatic reading as metaphor for contemporary research and action: Encourages readers to explore issues non-linearly, highlighting interconnectedness.
• Ethical complexity in labor and resource commodification: Both local resistance and global pressures are at play, with lives and identities interwoven.
• Assemblage perspective as a call for multi-dimensional policies: The need to integrate material, discursive, and emotional facets into future Arctic (and global) governance.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:17] — Salmon widow story & origins of the research
• [05:18] — Defining “cold rush” and current Arctic commodities
• [07:18] — Rhizomatic reading and Deleuze/Guattari inspiration
• [08:55] — Berries, superfood trends, and the challenges of ethical commodification
• [12:07] — Tourism economy, labor shortages, and required skills
• [15:53] — Language segmentation in the tourism workforce
• [17:02] — Navigating regulatory and entrepreneurial complexities
• [18:48] — Assemblage theory: combining material, discursive, and affective dimensions
• [22:04] — Implications for climate action; holistic approaches
• [23:59] — Salmon’s shifting role amid Arctic climate change
• [26:51] — Future work plans and multisite Arctic research initiatives

Conclusion

Through stories of fish, berries, and the mesmerizing Arctic night, Sari Pietikäinen’s “Cold Rush” and this podcast episode reveal the tangled web of ecology, economy, language, and emotion shaping the modern Arctic. Her assemblage approach urges us to look beyond easy answers, embracing complexity in efforts to balance development and sustainability in a world transformed by climate change.

Host:

“Thank you so much Sari. Thank you everyone for listening... I enjoyed reading it immensely. I recommend it to everyone.”
— Ingrid Piller (27:21)