Overview
- Explores social science methods in marine and fisheries research
- Provides an interactive social science perspective with links to the natural sciences and growing field of the environmental humanities
- Discusses experiences gained in the field and how readers can apply these in their own research
- Includes two free-to-read open access chapters, accessible here: https://bit.ly/2ODR6LD
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About this book
In this unique edited collection, social scientists reflect upon and openly share insights gathered from researching people and the sea. Understanding how people use, relate to and interact with coastal and marine environments has never been more important, with social scientists having an increasingly vital contribution to make. Yet practical experiences in deploying social science approaches in this field are typically hidden away in field notes and unpublished doctoral manuscripts, with the opportunity for shared learning that comes from doing research often missed. There is a need for reflection on how social science knowledge is produced.
This collection presents experiences from the field, its necessary reflexivity and innovation in methods, and the challenges and opportunities of translating across disciplines and policy. It brings to light the tacit expertise needed to study people and the sea and offers lessons which readerscould employ in their own research. With a focus on the future direction of marine social sciences, the volume is highly relevant to masters and doctoral students and more experienced researchers engaged in studying people and the sea, as well as policy makers, practitioners and scientists wishing to understand the social dimension of marine and coastal environments.
Chapters 2 and 3 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
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Keywords
Table of contents (15 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Introduction
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Front Matter
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Experiences from the Field: Adapting Methods, Practices and Reflexivity
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Front Matter
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Windows into Particular Methods: Innovations and Traditions
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Front Matter
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Translating Across Disciplines and Policy
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Front Matter
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Conclusion
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Front Matter
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Reviews
"I have been waiting long for such a book. Universities train students in how to carry out social research under ideal circumstances, with the syllabus full of textbook-recipes from which to choose from. Yet, students are often ill-prepared for what they find when trying to implement the research techniques they have learned to the real world. It is therefore important to know what previous researchers have experienced when in the field, and what they had to do to generate their data. In this important book, authors share the lessons they have learned the hard way in order to succeed. In particular, it better equips us for what to expect when entering the world of people who draw their livelihoods from the sea. This reflection helps us, as researchers, to deal with the emotional stress that ensues when things do not work out exactly as planned, which they seldom do."(Svein Jentoft, Professor emeritus, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway)
"The book answers the long-standing question about the role of social sciences in marine resources and ocean governance. With transformation and innovation being asked of all scientists today to address the increasing complexity of challenges facing the society, the book provides the best evidence of how well-equipped social science, and interdisciplinary, researchers are in tackling them. Unlike other books on social science research methods, this volume offers rare insights about what works, and as importantly, what doesn’t, with thoughtful reflections from trained and experienced researchers, many of them female, early career scholars. For those who like to dismiss social sciences as ‘soft’, the book will change your mind. For those thinking that social science research is easy, you will think twice. For those looking for new ways of approaching societal problems and doing research, the book will delight and surprise you, and will encourage you to enjoy thenew journey."
(Ratana Chuenpagdee, Professor, Too Big To Ignore (TBTI) Global Partnership for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada)
"A 'must read' item in the reading list for research training programmes for social scientists of all hues – important, not only as a crucial part of basic training, but also as a timely intervention in the current debates over the expansion of social sciences into new areas."
(David Symes, Reader Emeritus, University of Hull, UK)
"Marine social sciences occupy the interstitial spaces between the established social sciences – (such as sociology, anthropology and human geography) the marine natural sciences (including oceanography and marine biology) and the professional sciences (for example: law, policy and management). The thirteen essays in this book span the straits separating discipline-based text-book methods and the realities of conducting and interpreting interdisciplinary methodology. This is research as social practice, enriched by candid reflection on errors, insights and course-corrections. The authors and editors provide a valuable aid to those navigating this knowledge-archipelago, whether as graduate students, professors or marine spatial planners. It will be especially useful to orientate the many researchers who enter the field from the marine natural sciences. To those working in interdisciplinary teams or commissioning marine social research, it will help build understanding and respect for those who are mapping the myriad relationships between sea and society."
(Edward H. Allison, Professor, Research Chair for Equity and Justice in the Blue Economy, WorldFish, Malaysia and Research Director, Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center, Earthlab, University of Washington, USA)
"The book answers the long-standing question about the role of social sciences in marine resources and ocean governance. With transformation and innovation being asked of all scientists today to address the increasing complexity of challenges facing the society, the book provides the best evidence of how well-equipped social science, and interdisciplinary, researchers are in tackling them. Unlike other books on social science research methods, this volume offers rare insights about what works, and as importantly, what doesn’t, with thoughtful reflections from trained and experienced researchers, many of them female, early career scholars. For those who like to dismiss social sciences as ‘soft’, the book will change your mind. For those thinking that social science research is easy, you will think twice. For those looking for new ways of approaching societal problems and doing research, the book will delight and surprise you, and will encourage you to enjoy thenew journey."
(Ratana Chuenpagdee, Professor, Too Big To Ignore (TBTI) Global Partnership for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada)
"A 'must read' item in the reading list for research training programmes for social scientists of all hues – important, not only as a crucial part of basic training, but also as a timely intervention in the current debates over the expansion of social sciences into new areas."
(David Symes, Reader Emeritus, University of Hull, UK)
"Marine social sciences occupy the interstitial spaces between the established social sciences – (such as sociology, anthropology and human geography) the marine natural sciences (including oceanography and marine biology) and the professional sciences (for example: law, policy and management). The thirteen essays in this book span the straits separating discipline-based text-book methods and the realities of conducting and interpreting interdisciplinary methodology. This is research as social practice, enriched by candid reflection on errors, insights and course-corrections. The authors and editors provide a valuable aid to those navigating this knowledge-archipelago, whether as graduate students, professors or marine spatial planners. It will be especially useful to orientate the many researchers who enter the field from the marine natural sciences. To those working in interdisciplinary teams or commissioning marine social research, it will help build understanding and respect for those who are mapping the myriad relationships between sea and society."
(Edward H. Allison, Professor, Research Chair for Equity and Justice in the Blue Economy, WorldFish, Malaysia and Research Director, Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center, Earthlab, University of Washington, USA)
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Madeleine Gustavsson is a researcher at Ruralis – Institute for Rural and Regional Research in Trondheim, Norway.
Jeremy Phillipson is Professor of Rural Development at the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University, UK.
Kristen Ounanian is an associate professor at Centre for Blue Governance at Aalborg University, Denmark.
Carole White is a research fellow in the Global Environmental Justice Group at the University of East Anglia, UK, and a Senior Social Researcher at the UK Government Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Jeremy Phillipson is Professor of Rural Development at the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University, UK.
Kristen Ounanian is an associate professor at Centre for Blue Governance at Aalborg University, Denmark.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Researching People and the Sea
Book Subtitle: Methodologies and Traditions
Editors: Madeleine Gustavsson, Carole S. White, Jeremy Phillipson, Kristen Ounanian
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59601-9
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-59600-2Published: 16 February 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-59603-3Published: 16 February 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-59601-9Published: 15 February 2021
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXIII, 352
Number of Illustrations: 3 b/w illustrations, 14 illustrations in colour
Topics: Environmental Policy, Sociology, general, Geography, general, Environment, general, Environmental Geography, Environmental Management