ABSTRACT

We take our empirical and theoretical starting point in the practices of ecopreneurship in the making of marine markets. Seaweed has gained renewed relevance in the wake of a growing interest in alternative production and consumption. This coincides with a widespread interest in the environment and the production of sustainable lifestyles. In this context, there are a number of women entrepreneurs who, for various reasons, have chosen to invest their time and work in seaweed. The making of seaweed as a valuable resource takes place, and makes sense, in specific settings. Seaweed is related to different kinds of values and narratives depending on context. To gain a deeper understanding of how these ecopreneurs cope with tensions between different values, we set out to analyse the performative dimensions of a number of ideological narratives. The production of seaweed as a sustainable resource involves sensemaking processes, shaped as scenes and storylines that carry a specific meaning. In the process of sensemaking different seaweed stories are produced and re-produced as narratives. What kind of stories and practices are activated in the making of a sustainable and creative lifestyle? How is seaweed performed and described as a significant resource in green entrepreneurial practices?