HomeImages and Discourses of the Sea and its Resources
Images and Discourses of the Sea and its Resources
Imaginaires et discours de la mer et de ses ressources
An Ocean of Trouble? Representations of the Sea in a Time of Crisis
Mers et océans en crise : vers de nouvelles représentations
Published on Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Abstract
The seas and oceans are now the focus of renewed attention and a major cause for concern, as anxiety about the depletion of marine habitats resurfaces in discourses. This one-day conference will probe the individual, collective and cultural representations of man’s relation to the sea and its resources in the present times, taking as focal point the concept of “crisis”.
Announcement
Argument
This one-day conference is organized conjointly par the research labs of the University of Western Brittany: Héritage et Construction dans le Texte et l’Image (HCTI, EA 4249), le Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique (CRBC, EA 4450), le Centre de Recherche en Psychologie, Cognition et Communication (CRPCC, EA 1285), le Centre de droit et d’économie de la mer (UMR_M101 AMURE) et Géoarchi (EA 2219).
An Ocean of Trouble? Representations of the Sea in a Time of Crisis.
The seas and oceans are now the focus of renewed attention and a major cause for concern, as anxiety about the depletion of marine habitats resurfaces in discourses. This one-day conference will probe the individual, collective and cultural representations of man’s relation to the sea and its resources in the present times, taking as focal point the concept of “crisis”.
Rarely has an environment created feelings so contradictory as the sea. According to French historian Alain Corbin, the breakpoint in cultural representations of the sea took place around 1750, with the emergence of an affluent bourgeoisie and technological progress. The yearning for a sense of the sublime, together with new insights into the therapeutic powers of the sea gave rise to a new framework for the appreciation of the seas and their shores that only partially submerged former feelings of awe and repulsion expressed and transmitted by biblical cosmology. In the present day, imaginary figures of monstrosity and primeval chaos have retreated in favour of images, published in all media forms, of melting icecaps, whitening coral reefs or invasive marine species, and alarming reports of the rarefaction of some species of fish, while others are endangered by trawling.
This conference will take a fresh look at the representations of maritime spaces by crossing disciplines and cultures. Our aim is to explore the synergies, distances and tensions between individual and cultural representations of the sea on the one hand and political and economic discourses on the exploitation of maritime resources, so crucial in the perspective of Blue Growth, on the other. To what extent does the idea of a current “crisis”, whether social, environmental or economic, bring about a change in the representation of maritime spaces in the minds of individuals, in arts and in discourses? What forms of artistic commitment in words or images could awaken environmental awareness? This seminar will also attempt a delineation of the factors that generate within a population or territory a system of appraisal of maritime spaces. How is a maritime culture generated in the present day, and what does it communicate? Why do some coastal populations turn their backs on the sea while others embrace it in their daily lives? What connections can we draw between the marine imaginary, the maritime culture and social practices related to the seashores and marine resources?
Main themes
Contributions of a transdisciplinary or comparative nature are especially welcome. The seminar will be organised around the three following axes:
1. Marine imaginary and social practices
2. The maritime culture: imagining new cultural practices
3. Blue Growth – concepts and representations
Submission guidelines
Abstracts (in French or in English, of no more than 200 words) for 15-20 minute papers should be sent together with a short bio-bibliographical note
before 15 March 2016
to catherine.conan@univ-brest.fr
This one day conference will be held at the University of western brittany, Brest, france, Thursday 10 november 2016
Scientific Committee
- Yvanne BOUVET (GéoArchi)
- Catherine CONAN (HCTI)
- Sophie GONDOLLE (CRBC)
- Géraldine LE ROUX (CRBC)
- Elisabeth MICHEL-GUILLOU (CRPCC)
- Myriam NOURRY (AMURE)
- Kimberley PAGE-JONES (HCTI)
- Pierrick POURCHASSE (CRBC)
Organisation
- Yvanne BOUVET, Catherine CONAN, Sophie GONDOLLE, Kimberley PAGE-JONES
Subjects
- Representation (Main category)
- Periods > Modern > Twenty-first century
- Mind and language > Representation > Cultural identities
- Society > Geography > Geography: society and territory
Places
- UFR Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Salle des conférences, 2ème étage - 20 rue Duquesne
Brest, France (29)
Date(s)
- Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Keywords
- mers, océans, pêche, ressources maritimes, croissance bleue, littoral, culture maritime, roman maritime
Contact(s)
- Kimberley Page-Jones
courriel : gis [dot] sociabilites [at] gmail [dot] com - Catherine Conan
courriel : catherine [dot] conan [at] univ-brest [dot] fr
Information source
- Kimberley Page-Jones
courriel : gis [dot] sociabilites [at] gmail [dot] com
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Images and Discourses of the Sea and its Resources », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Wednesday, January 20, 2016, https://doi.org/10.58079/u7q
