Amazon in the Arctic: E-Commerce, Infrastructure, and Alimentary Assemblages in Nunavut, Canada

Since establishing a delivery hub in Iqaluit, Nunavut in 2020, Amazon.com, Inc. has become an essential resource for many Nunavut residents, providing affordable access to goods otherwise constrained by high costs and limited availability in the Arctic. This article explores the significant yet underexamined role of the Amazon corporation in Nunavut, Canada, as a response to the territory's infrastructural and economic challenges. By combining an alimentary understanding of infrastructure with the theoretical concept of assemblage theory, I analyze Amazon's operations as part of a complex system shaped by global logistics and local agency. My research based on ethnographic fieldwork highlights how Inuit residents adapt Amazon's services to navigate gaps left by government programs. This nuanced perspective challenges assumptions about e-commerce as a purely homogenizing force, illustrating how residents adapt global platforms to meet local needs, and underscoring the interplay between global corporations, local infrastructure, and Indigenous agency in shaping Arctic livelihoods.