This project aims to explore the relationship between the sea, language, literature, and different forms of knowledge. It situates itself in the field of the Blue Humanities and has three specific objectives: 1) to examine how the relationship between sea and land (specifically islands) is represented in different literatures; 2) to analyse how these representations are translated across languages; 3) to explore how the sea is understood and conceptualised more widely across different areas of knowledge and forms of representation.
One of the main methodological focus points of the project is thus to explore the notion of the sea by ‘traversing’ or moving between different languages, literatures and disciplines. The different methodologies adopted will include the critical analysis of literary texts from different language groups, the critical analysis of literary texts in translation, and an analysis of cultural conceptions of the sea more generally. It will include the establishing of an interdisciplinary seminar series that will serve as a forum for the exploration and comparative analysis of different ways of understanding, representing and engaging with the sea across disciplines. It will also include a community outreach component in the form of an activity titled ‘The Sea and Me’ which will target select groups of school children who will learn about the importance of conserving marine environments and be encouraged to reflect on their own relationship to the sea through a literature and creative writing project.