Historically, seas understanding has been dominated by natural science while the incursion of social science has been relegated. Just do a quick search in Google Scholar, and you can notice that publications in the field of marine social science are significantly fewer than in natural sciences. Today, there is a growing interest in understanding the human dimension of marine space. However, mainly the efforts have focused on understanding society as a cause of marine problems or using it as a bridge to achieve environmental and economic objectives. Therefore, the inclusion of the social dimension in marine science remains challenging.
Encouraging social scientist participation requires understanding why social sciences have not meaningfully engaged in marine research. One explanation is the lack of investment in this field. Natural sciences often receive more funding than the social sciences. Therefore, it is necessary to provide better funds for social research. A second explanation is the affinity of social science to study interior continental human groups. Traditionally, social scientists have focused and attributed more importance and prestige to inland issues. Therefore, universities should do more to motivate young social scientists to venture into the marine field as well as foster more exchange spaces for marine social science.
The sea’s potential for social studies is vast. Today, 40 per cent of the world’s population lives in coastal and marine areas, and it is expected that by 2050 it will increase to 68 per cent. Furthermore, the sea is a place of tradition, culture, gastronomy, livelihoods, and history, among other human expressions. Thus, the sea is a space that invites social science practitioners since there is still a lot to know from the social perspective, and social scientists can meaningfully contribute to an integral understanding of the seas. Moreover, the perspective about society’s role regarding marine problems is changing from a cause to a solution. However, to be part of the solution, a comprehensive understanding of the complex and changing relationships between people and the sea is necessary. In this sense, social sciences are indispensable as they can analyze and contribute to problems solution from a view that natural science can not see. The social scientist can refresh the understanding of marine challenges, enhance the sociocultural data acquisition and incentive society participation in the search and solution of these problems.
Finally, it is necessary to remember that the discourse of sustainability, integral coastal zone management, and marine spatial planning promotes the integral comprehension of marine ecosystems. However, this will be only possible through the cooperation of the sciences. Therefore, it is a moment for social science to keep seeing the mountain, but to also see the seas.
Photo by Guillaume Coupy on Unsplash
