Maritime sociology

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Maritime sociology is a sub-discipline of sociology studying the relationship of human societies and cultures to the oceans and the marine environment as well as related social processes. [1] Subjects studied by maritime sociology are human activities at and with the sea such as seafaring, fisheries, maritime and coastal tourism, off-shore extraction, deep-sea mining, or marine environmental conservation. [2] Institutions and discourses related to those activities are also studied by the sub-discipline. Another area of study is the societal-natural relations in the marine realm such as, for instance, the problem of over-fishing or the social consequences of climate change. In sum, maritime sociology conceptualizes the oceans as a social rather than a merely natural space. [3]

Contents

Relation to other sociological disciplines

Maritime sociological research is often closely related, uses theories and methods of and collaborates with other sub-disciplines such as the sociology of work or environmental sociology. [4]

Schools and institutions

Although it is almost as old as the sociological discipline itself, [5] maritime sociology has not been institutionalized to any great extent to date and is practiced by various more or less independent schools around the world. [6] Currently, there are efforts within the research community to establish maritime sociology as an independent sub-discipline. [3] [4]

Theoretical positions

Until now, there is no established theoretical framework or overarching paradigm of maritime sociology. Sociological studies in maritime subjects share the identity of dealing with subjects related to the sea rather than a common theoretical ground. With the exception of Janiszewski's concept of marinization, maritime sociologists borrow theoretical approaches from other sociologies to apply them to their field. [4] [1]

Marinization

Since the 1970s, the Polish sociologist Ludwik Janiszewski's developed the theory of "marinization" (Polish: "Marynizacja"). [8] Analogous to ideas like industrialization, urbanization, or digitalization, the notion describes a historical process or tendency of increasing entanglement of terrestrial societies with the maritime realm, or a tendency of growing importance of relations with and the use of the sea for human societies. [9]

Critical political economy of oceans

Scholars using the critical political economy approach draw on theories about the interaction of the capitalist mode of production with the ocean in the Marxist tradition. One strand of this approach is concerned with environmental and sustainability issues, using social-ecological theories such as social metabolic analysis. John Hannigan criticizes that its proponents fail to conceptualize the ocean as a distinct social space but, instead, remain in a terrestrial bias applying the categories of land-based society to the maritime realm. [4]

Another strand under the umbrella of critical political economy focuses on the role of the sea with regard to international trade, migratory movements of people, and relations of maritime labor, and piracy. An early publication of this research direction was Steinberg's book "The Social Construction of the Ocean". [10] A recent publication exploring the sociology of the oceans from a critical political economy perspective is presented by Liam Campling and Alejandro Colás: "[...] we aim to demonstrate how capitalism has transformed the spatial relationship between land and sea in ways that has made them both increasingly interdependent and resolutely differentiated." [11]

Posthumanist and postmodern theories

Recently, a number of maritime sociology researchers draw on theories of posthumanism and postmodernism to conceptualize human-ocean relations. In the sense of Actor-Network-Theory and the works of feminist scholar Donna Haraway, they argue for transcending the separation of nature and society, conceptualizing the oceans as a "hybrid" [12] instead of viewing it separately as a social and natural space. [4]

Fields of research

Examples of maritime-sociological research and theory building include:

Currently, there are no scientific journals exclusively dedicated to the subject of maritime sociology. Below is a list of interdisciplinary journals covering the subject:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interdisciplinarity</span> Combination of two or more academic disciplines into one activity

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social science</span> Branch of science that studies society and its relationships

Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of society", established in the 19th century. In addition to sociology, it now encompasses a wide array of academic disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, human geography, linguistics, management science, communication science and political science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of academic disciplines</span> Overviews of and topical guides to academic disciplines

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand Tönnies</span> German sociologist, economist and philosopher (1855–1936)

Ferdinand Tönnies was a German sociologist, economist, and philosopher. He was a significant contributor to sociological theory and field studies, best known for distinguishing between two types of social groups, Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. He co-founded the German Society for Sociology together with Max Weber and Georg Simmel and many other founders. He was president of the society from 1909 to 1933, after which he was ousted for having criticized the Nazis. Tönnies was regarded as the first proper German sociologist and published over 900 works, contributing to many areas of sociology and philosophy. Tönnies, Max Weber, and Georg Simmel are considered the founding fathers of classical German sociology. Though there has been a resurgence of interest in Weber and Simmel, Tönnies has not drawn as much attention.

Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, generally translated as "community and society", are categories which were used by the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies in order to categorize social relationships into two types. The Gesellschaft is associated with modern society and rational self-interest, which weakens the traditional bonds of family and local community that typify the Gemeinschaft. Max Weber, a founding figure in sociology, also wrote extensively about the relationship between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. Weber wrote in direct response to Tönnies.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Kołodziej−Durnaś, Agnieszka (2014). "Maritime Sociology or Sociology of Maritime Issues? World Literature Review and Some Historical Considerations". Roczniki Socjologii Morskiej. Annuals of Marine Sociology. 23: 54–62.
  2. ↑ Bavinck, Maarten; Verrips, Jojada (2020). "Manifesto for the marine social sciences". Maritime Studies. 19 (2): 121–123. doi: 10.1007/s40152-020-00179-x . ISSN   2212-9790.
  3. 1 2 Cocco, Emilio (2013). "Theoretical Implications of Maritime Sociology". Roczniki Socjologii Morskiej. Annuals of Marine Sociology. 22: 5–18.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hannigan, John (February 2017). "Toward a Sociology of Oceans". Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie. 54 (1): 8–27. doi:10.1111/cars.12136. ISSN   1755-6171. PMID   28220677.
  5. ↑ Bartlomiejski, R. and M. Kowalewski. 2014. “The Founding Fathers of Sociology on Maritime Social Issues.” Presented at the Congress of the German Sociological Association, Session on “Maritime Sociology: Polish and German Perspectives on a Sociology of Maritime Spaces,” October 6–10, Trier, Germany.
  6. ↑ Sowa, Frank and Agnieszka Kolodziej-Durnaś. (2014). “A Short Introductory Note on Maritime Sociology.” Presented at the Congress of the German Sociological Association, Session on “Maritime Sociology: Polish and German Perspectives on a Sociology of Maritime Spaces,” October 6–10, Trier, Germany.
  7. ↑ "List of research streams". European Sociological Association. 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  8. ↑ Janiszewski, Ludwik (1988). "Marynizacja. Przyczynek teoretyczny". Roczniki Socjologii Morskiej. 4: 5–14.
  9. ↑ Kołodziej, Arkadiusz (2019). "The Concept of Marinization by Ludwik Janiszewski". Cultural Interaction Studies of Sea Port Cities. 20: 159–179. doi:10.35158/cisspc.2019.04.20.159. ISSN   2092-8130. S2CID   186484340.
  10. ↑ Steingerg, P.E. (2001). The Social Construction of the Ocean. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  11. ↑ Campling, Liam; Colás, Alejandro (2021). Capitalism and the sea : the maritime factor in the making of the modern world. New York: Verso. p. 47. ISBN   978-1-78478-523-9. OCLC   1232452914.
  12. ↑ Kim, Seung Kuk (2018). "Individualism of Unique Self/Mind: Toward a Mind Sociology". Korean Journal of Sociology. 52 (2): 159–212. doi:10.21562/kjs.2018.05.52.2.159. S2CID   150246478.
  13. ↑ Tönnies, Ferdinand (1897). "Hafenarbeiter und Seeleute in Hamburg vor dem Strike 1896/97". Archiv für soziale Gesetzgebung und Statistik. 10 (2): 173–238.
  14. ↑ Tönnies, Ferdinand (1903). Die Ostseehäfen Flensburg, Kiel, Lübeck. pp. 509–614.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  15. ↑ Elias, Norbert (1950). "Studies in the Genesis of the Naval Profession". The British Journal of Sociology. 1 (4): 291–309. doi:10.2307/586890. ISSN   0007-1315. JSTOR   586890.
  16. ↑ Aubert, Vilhelm; Arner, Oddvar (1958). "On the Social Structure of the Ship". Acta Sociologica. 3 (1): 200–219. doi:10.1177/000169935800300118. ISSN   0001-6993. S2CID   144975264.
  17. ↑ Poole, Michael (1981). "Maritime sociology: towards a delimation of themes and analytical frameworks". Maritime Policy & Management. 8 (4): 207–222. doi:10.1080/03088838100000046. ISSN   0308-8839.
  18. ↑ Perry, Nick; Wilkie, Roy (1974). "Social Theory and Shipboard Structure". Maritime Studies and Management. 1 (3): 136–146. doi:10.1080/03088837400000002. ISSN   0306-1957.
  19. ↑ Gerstenberger, Heide; Welke, Ulrich (2004). Arbeit auf See. Zur Ökonomie und Ethnologie der Globalisierung. Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot. pp. 17–26. ISBN   978-3-89691-575-7.
  20. ↑ Grasmeier, Marie C. (2020). Das Schiff als sozialer Ort. pp. 21–34.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  21. ↑ "Seafarers International Research Centre" . Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  22. ↑ "Home - Asia Pacific Journal of Marine Science&Education". www.msun.ru. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  23. ↑ "Constanta Maritime University Annals". annals.cmu-edu.eu. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  24. ↑ Marine Policy.
  25. ↑ "Maritime Policy & Management Aims & Scope". www.tandfonline.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  26. ↑ "Maritime Studies". Springer. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  27. ↑ Pomorstvo (in Croatian). University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies. doi:10.31217/p. S2CID   245440085.
  28. ↑ "Roczniki Socjologii Morskiej Annals of Marine Sociology". Roczniki Socjologii Morskiej Annals of Marine Sociology (in Polish). 2011. ISSN   0860-6552. OCLC   826592291.
  29. ↑ "WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs". Springer. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
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