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Marine sciences and the emergence of the first Mediterranean Ecological Imaginaries

Project description

The roots of the Mediterranean’s environmental narrative

As one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, the Mediterranean Sea is also recognised as one of the world’s endangered ecosystems. Such an idea is the premise used in many policies and debates. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MEDSciNaries project aims to reshape the story of early marine sciences. More specifically, it will trace the activities of the Mediterranean Association for Marine Biology and Oceanology between 1964 and 1984, as well as the impact science, politics and culture had on the creation of such a stereotype. With the help of a transnational, postcolonial and digital approach, it will shed light on the historical context of current problems, including habitat destruction and overfishing.

Objective

Vulnerable and endangered. In the ‘Ocean Decade’ (2021-2030) these are the most recurring adjectives stakeholders use when speaking of the Mediterranean Sea from an environmental and regional governance perspective. The narrative of a fragile Mediterranean is now so ingrained in contemporary political, scientific, socio-economic and cultural discourse that its validity seems timeless. And yet, this view of the Sea is historically situated and has a history that is political and cultural as much as scientific. Ignoring this history hinders our ability to confront the actual challenges faced in today’s Mediterranean. The research project entitled Marine sciences and the emergence of the first Mediterranean Ecological Imaginaries (MEDSciNaries) offers the first historical account of the origins and early development of the Mediterranean as an object of study for the ecological sciences. Its main goal is to bring light on the processes that led to the emergence of the first unified ecological vision of the Mediterranean Sea, long before this scientific representation reached the governmental and public sphere. Research focuses on a concrete case study, reconstructing the activities of the Mediterranean Association for Marine Biology and Oceanology (MAMBO), the first non-governmental pan-Mediterranean marine biology association dedicated to the monitoring, study and protection of the Mediterranean Sea (1964-1984). Using a methodology that is at the time transnational, post-colonial and digital, MEDSciNaries will mobilize hitherto unexplored archival sources to shed light on the early seeds of contemporary discourses on tropicalization, habitat destruction and fish stock decline in the Mediterranean Sea. Given the environmental, social, cultural and geopolitical complexities that form the backdrop to the MAMBO parable, MEDSciNaries has the strength to stand as an analogue of the challenges encountered by current transnational cooperation initiatives in the marine sphere.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA
Net EU contribution

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€ 194 074,56
Address
CALLE S. FERNANDO 4
41004 Sevilla
Spain

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Region
Sur Andalucía Sevilla
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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Partners (1)