Blue Kinships: An Exploration of Society & the Ocean

Blue Kinship contributes to the emergent movement of ideas and practices that are interpreting the ocean as a conceptual and physical space for reconsidering our relationship with the complex, heterogeneous and mutable ecological systems of the Anthropocene; and, in consideration of the drastic and dramatic changes affecting the ocean’s health, is working toward a paradigm change in consideration of the socio-cultural connection with the sea. Tightening the link between society and the ocean cannot be achieved by technological solutions alone, but requires a multidisciplinary understanding of the ocean’s influence on the more-than-human society, and of society on the ocean. This book includes cross-cutting, theoretical analyses, methodological descriptions and case studies across the social and natural research that puts the ocean at the core of all global health to feed the emergent socio-cultural geography of the sea and marine social science perspectives.

Chiara Certomà is assistant professor of socio-political geography establishing the trans-sectoral research team ＂Geo&theSea＂, while leading national and international projects on civic participation in knowledge-production, planning and decision-making, grassroot innovation for just sustainability. With overly twenty years of experience in participatory methods and more than 30 papers and books authored, she is now action-researching in marine social science and cultural geography of the ocean. Amongst the other, she has and is leading the EU-funded research projects ＂Participatory Art for society engagement with Ocean and Water (PartArt4OW)＂, ＂FishArt. Participatory Art for the Fishermen’Harbour in Anzio, Italy＂ and ＂SeaPaCS. Participatory Citizen Science against Marine Pollution＂ that has been awarded the EU Citizen Science-Diversity and Collaboration award in 2024.Info at https: //crowdusg.net/