History of International Ocean Governance

Recommended Prerequisites

Knowledge of academic writing. Fluency in English and Portuguese.

Teaching Methods

The organisation of teaching times involves active student participation and debate based on selected materials. In the more expository sessions, the aim is to stimulate past-present discussion and emphasise the importance of the topic under analysis. The other sessions are dedicated to analysing practical problems and discussing examples to consolidate the content. This work is complemented by tutorial guidance, where students can clarify doubts, seek guidance for group work and discuss aspects of the programme or a particular topic.

Learning Outcomes

General objective:

To provide a historical perspective on the main topics, problems and actors of global oceans governance.

Specific objectives:

- Recognise the historicity of ocean phenomena and human interaction;

- Identify the periodisation of ocean exploration, with an emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries;

- Discuss the role of marine sciences and technology in ocean knowledge;

- Understand the historical circumstances of ocean governance, which emerged after the Second World War;

- Discuss the importance of the United Nations and the European Union in ocean governance policies;

- Discuss the qualitative change in ocean governance models from the second half of the 20th century to the present day.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1.The ocean, a timeless space?

From maritime history to ocean history.

Ocean governance and sustainability practices in historical perspective.

2. The historical construction of maritime spaces.

Mapping natural resources: biogeography and maritime economy.

3. Imagining and representing the oceans.

Ocean exploration: from the water column to the deep sea.

Knowledge of the oceans: marine sciences in the 19th and 20th centuries.

4. From inexhaustible seas to overexploitation.

Towards global ocean governance: the creation of ICES in 1902.

From marine biology stations to state R&D laboratories.

5. The emergence of multilateral ocean governance after the IIGM.

The UN and the Law of the Sea.

Marine sciences and ocean diplomacy during the Cold War.

6. UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

European maritime policy.

Mapping international ocean organisations.

Globalisation, climate change and the blue economy.

Head Lecturer(s)

Álvaro Francisco Rodrigues Garrido

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 40.0%
Project: 60.0%

Bibliography

BOLSTER, Jeffrey W., “Opportunities in Marine Environmental History”, Environmental History, n. 3, July 2006, pp. 567-597. 

CARSON, Rachel, The Sea Around Us, Oxford University Press, 2018 [1951].

GARRIDO, Álvaro, As Pescas em Portugal, Lisboa, Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos, 2018.

HAMBLIN, Jacob D., Oceanographers and the Cold War. Disciples of Marine Science, Washington, University of Washington Press, 2005.

KULLENBERG, Gunnar, Ocean Science and International Cooperation. Historical and Personal Reflections, Paris, UNESCO, 2021[on-line].

O Oceano nosso futuro: relatório da Comissão Mundial Independente para os Oceanos [prefácio de Mário Soares], Lisboa, Expo98, 1998.

ROZWADOWSKI, Helen M., Vast Expanses. A History of the Oceans, London, Reaktion Books, 2019.

RUIVO, Mário (coord.), Do Mar Oceano ao Mar Português, Lisboa, Edições CTT, 2015. Edição bilingue.

STEINBERG, Philip E., The Social Construction of the Ocean, Cambridge University Press, 2001.