The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) was founded in 1990 in Fairbanks, Alaska, at a meeting held in conjunction with the 7th Inuit Studies Conference.
The creation of IASSA follows the suggestion, made at the Conference on Coordination of Research in the Arctic held in Leningrad in 1988, to establish an international association to represent Arctic social scientists, with the Arctic and social sciences defined in a broad and inclusive manner.
Among key objectives of IASSA are to promote and stimulate international cooperation and to increase the participation of social scientists in national and international arctic research; to promote communication and coordination with other related organizations; and to promote mutual respect, communication, and collaboration between social scientists and the peoples of the north, while recognizing these are not mutually exclusive groups.
