Erwin Dubois

As a PhD student at the Laboratory of Ethnology and Comparative Sociology at the University of Paris-Nanterre, my work focuses on psychosocial adaptation in extreme environments. To this end, the town of Longyearbyen presents original socio-environmental constraints that make it a relevant case study.
Geographical isolation, partial confinement within the town walls, an external environment that may be considered extreme, a heterogeneous and regularly “turnover” population that is demographically increasing in an area presenting a number of natural risks.

The main objective is to understand how the individuals and community of Longyearbyen successfully adapt to the challenges and threats to their well-being.