More is known about the dark side of the moon than is known about the depths of the oceans. Over 80 per cent of global trade is moved by ships. Submarine cables form the backbones of the information society. Ocean warming and acidification profoundly affect the global climate. Rising sea levels threaten coastal megalopolises. Blue Economies frame the seabed as a natural resource. And yet, these and further ties between our everyday lifeworld and the oceans still remain largely unarticulated and detached from public consciousness.

The interdisciplinary field of Ocean Humanities (or Blue Humanities) aims at a sea change by critically reflecting our current relations to the seas, and by exploring alternative epistemologies and “world-views”: In which respect are we as humans historically, philosophically, or literarily determined as aquatic or nautic beings? How can we generate knowledge about the “vast expanses” of the oceans? And what happens if we perceive our world from an oceanic perspective?

With its International Lecture Series on Ocean Humanities, the German Maritime Museum endeavors to create a lasting format that systematically brings together scholars and research topics from a variety of academic disciplines. It also attempts to further reinforcing the field by initiating a vivid exchange with partner institutions from engineering and natural sciences. And not least, it aims at making Ocean Humanities more popular in the German academic landscape and public.

The series is a monthly format and open for presentations in English and German. The Lectures are open to the public and can be accessed on site at the DSM Research Depot and via Zoom.

Zoom link for remote participation:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83665863280?pwd=L0t5bzlNeVNiSWdzQlFtSzd0a21kdz09
Meeting-ID: 836 6586 3280
Kenncode: 055375

Concept:
Katrin Kleemann