The Monstrous Sea

« previous article | next article »

DC Field	Value
dc.identifier	ECF_article_15435
dc.title	The Monstrous Sea
dc.contributor.author	Strang Veronica
dc.publisher	Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Venice University Press, Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari
dc.type	Research Article
dc.language.iso	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://edizionicafoscari.it/en/edizioni4/riviste/the-venice-journal-of-environmental-humanities/2023/2/the-monstrous-sea/
dc.description.abstract	Through an anthropological lens, this essay examines the sea’s dual capacities to bring order and chaos. Drawing on a major comparative study, it examines hydro-theological water beings who personify the sea’s agentive powers, compose the world, and move spirit and matter through time and space. It explores the oceans’ capacities to consume human lives and threaten material stability, and considers how people respond to fears of being overwhelmed. It proposes that, rather than trying to control the sea with coastal fortifications, societies should seek more ecologically convivial solutions to stop climate change and support marine ecosystems.
dc.relation.ispartof	Lagoonscapes
dc.relation.ispartof	Swimming Against the Tide
dc.issued	2023-12-20
dc.dateAccepted	2023-10-25
dc.dateSubmitted	2023-09-28
dc.identifier.issn
dc.identifier.eissn	2785-2709
dc.rights	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.identifier.doi	10.30687/LGSP/2785-2709/2023/02/007
dc.peer-review	yes
dc.subject	Cosmology
dc.subject	Hydro-theology
dc.subject	Infrastructure
dc.subject	Materiality
dc.subject	Sea
dc.subject	Sustainability
dc.subject	Tsunamis
dc.subject	Water beings

Research Article
open access peer reviewed

The Monstrous Sea

Veronica Strang University of Oxford, UK

VIEW PDF DOWNLOAD PDF

abstract

Through an anthropological lens, this essay examines the sea’s dual capacities to bring order and chaos. Drawing on a major comparative study, it examines hydro-theological water beings who personify the sea’s agentive powers, compose the world, and move spirit and matter through time and space. It explores the oceans’ capacities to consume human lives and threaten material stability, and considers how people respond to fears of being overwhelmed. It proposes that, rather than trying to control the sea with coastal fortifications, societies should seek more ecologically convivial solutions to stop climate change and support marine ecosystems.

Published

Dec. 20, 2023

Accepted

Oct. 25, 2023

Submitted

Sept. 28, 2023

Language

Keywords: Water beings • Materiality • Tsunamis • Hydro-theology • Cosmology • Sea • Sustainability • Infrastructure

permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/LGSP/2785-2709/2023/02/007

Copyright: © 2023 Veronica Strang. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

References to this chapter

How to cite