ABSTRACT

The seas and oceans are currently taking centre stage in academic study and public consciousness. From the plastics littering our seas, to the role of climate change on ocean currents from unequal access of marine resources to the treacherous experiences of seafarers who keep our global economy afloat; now is a crucial time to examine how we live with the sea.

This ambitious book brings together an interdisciplinary and international cohort of contributors from within and beyond academia. It offers a range and diversity of insights unlike previous collections. An ‘oceanic turn’ is taking place, with a burgeoning of academic work that takes seriously the place of seas and oceans in understanding socio-cultural and political life, past and present. Yet, there is a significant gap concerning the ways in which we engage with seas and oceans, with a will to enliven action and evoke change. This book explores these challenges, offering insights from spatial planning, architectural design, geography, educational studies, anthropology and cultural studies. An examination through these lenses can help us to better understand human relationships with the seas and oceans, and promote an ethic of care for the future.

chapter 1|12 pages

Introduction

Living with the sea: knowledge, awareness and action

part One|2 pages

Approaches and advances

chapter 2|21 pages

Architecture and design

Between seascape and landscape: experiencing the liminal zone of the coast

chapter 3|20 pages

Marine spatial planning

Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari: reflections on marine spatial planning in the Hauraki Gulf

chapter 4|14 pages

Geo-spatial analysis

Assessing the multiple values and complexity of seascape

chapter 5|14 pages

Education and learning

Developing action competence: living sustainably with the sea

chapter 6|16 pages

History and heritage

Re-examining seascapes aboard the Charles W. Morgan (America’s last whaling ship): a return to sea after 90 years

chapter 7|14 pages

Sensory autoethnography

Surfing approaches for understanding and communicating ‘seaspacetimes’

chapter 8|15 pages

Science and culture

Transitioning currents in times of climate change

part Two|2 pages

Engagements and experiences

chapter 9|16 pages

Seafarers and work

Endless, sleepless, floating journeys: the sea as workplace

chapter 10|20 pages

Surfers and leisure

‘Freedom’ to surf? Contested spaces on the coast

chapter 11|16 pages

Students and teachers

Te hone moana/the ocean swell: learning to live with the sea

chapter 12|13 pages

Bodies and technologies

Becoming a ‘mermaid’: myth, reality, embodiment, cyborgs, windsurfing and the sea

chapter 13|17 pages

Past and presents

Making connections with the sea: a matter of a personal and professional Heimat

chapter 14|14 pages

Rituals and performance

Crossing the line: all at sea with King Neptune mid-Pacific

chapter 15|13 pages

Conclusions

Learning to live with the sea together: opening dialogue, creating conversation