Call for abstracts open for the symposium Thinking with the Sea
Thinking with the Sea - Interactions and New Perspectives Inspired by the Blue Humanities opens up new perspectives on human activity in and around water. This symposium brings together researchers with different scholarly perspectives and approaches to the interactions between humans and seas, lakes, and other water features—both historically and in the present. The event takes place at Forum Marinum in Turku on 30 Sept. – 1 Oct. 2026, organized by the Institute of Maritime History at Åbo Akademi University, SOS, and Comparative Literature at ÅAU. The call for abstracts is open until 15 April.
Through the concept of blue humanities, scholars in the humanities have for some time studied the human aspects of the sea— exploring the significance of water for, among other things, human livelihoods, leisure, literature, and art. The aim of this conference is to open up new perspectives on human activity in and around water. With the help of interdisciplinary collaborations we wish to bring together researchers, who can deepen and broaden the understanding of the interactions between humans and seas, lakes, and waterways—both historically and in the present. In a time when the awareness of humanity’s destructive impact on water is growing, the established research perspective founded in the natural sciences must be extended by a critical humanistic view of the human-water relationship.
The ways in which researchers in the humanities—such as historians, literary scholars, and other cultural studies scholars — can collaborate with scholars in scientific disciplines like marine biology and ecology are of great interest to the purposes of the conference. We wish to open up opportunities and collaborations that have not yet been fully explored. At the same time, the pursuit of interdisciplinary collaboration is not a requirement for participation. The organizers encourage and welcome all researchers whose work engages with the water-human-water axis to take part in the symposium.
Instructions for abstracts
- Max. 250 words and a brief bio (max. 100 words) by 15 April via Webropol.
- Abstracts are welcome in English and Swedish. Applicants will be notified by 1 May.
- For any queries, please contact sjohistoriska@abo.fi
Publication
The peer-reviewed journal Meddelanden från Sjöhistoriska institutet vid Åbo Akademi, which is included in the national classification system (Jufo 1), will offer the participants an opportunity to publish their papers in the journal. The publishing decisions will be made by the editorial board.
Confirmed keynote speakers
- Sabine Höhler, Professor of Science and Technology Studies, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden) // Co-director, Centre for Anthropocene History, KTH
- Søren Frank, Professor of Danish and Nordic Literature, University of Copenhagen
Organizers
Institute of Maritime History at Åbo Akademi University
Centre for Sustainable Ocean Science (SOS)
Comparative Literature at Åbo Akademi University
Organizing committee
Pia Maria Ahlbäck, PhD, Title of docent, University Lecturer, Åbo Akademi University
Otso Kortekangas, PhD, Title of docent, Åbo Akademi University
Anna Törnroos-Remes, Professor, SOS
Robert Louhimies, PhD, Deputy Chief Curator, Institute of Maritime History at ÅAU
Malla Lehtonen, Research Assistant, SOS
