Ulrike Spring

Ulrike Spring is a Professor of History at the University of Oslo, specializing in 19th and early 20th century European history with particular focus on the Arctic, Northern Norway, and the Habsburg Monarchy. Her work bridges multiple disciplines including polar history, museum studies, and the history of travel culture.

Professor Spring's research interests span several interconnected fields. She has made significant contributions to understanding travel cultures, particularly expeditions and tourism in historical contexts. Her geographical focus encompasses the Arctic regions, Northern Norway, and the Habsburg Monarchy, examining how these areas were represented and experienced. Thematically, she explores polar history, museum history, and exhibition practices, often analyzing how knowledge about these regions was constructed and disseminated. Her work frequently intersects with the history of science, demonstrating how scientific expeditions shaped cultural understandings of remote regions.

Spring's publication record shows a consistent trajectory of scholarly output focused on the representation of northern spaces and cultures. Her recent work has increasingly examined author museums, cruise tourism in the Arctic, and the material culture of polar exploration. She has developed a distinctive approach that combines cultural history with material studies, particularly in analyzing how collections, souvenirs, and exhibition practices shape historical memory. Her research demonstrates strong transnational perspectives, connecting Central European intellectual traditions with Arctic exploration narratives.

Professor Spring has been actively involved in several research groups including

• Democracy, freedom and borders
• Multilingualism and multiculturalism in Central Europe and the Balkans
• Critical historiography
• Materialities – in the past and present
• Nordic Civil Societies

She has also contributed to projects such as the Heritage Experience Initiative (HEI) and Poles and People. Her collaborative work, particularly with Johan Schimanski, has produced significant scholarship on Arctic discourses and polar expeditions.