Abstract
Symbolic, cultural and spiritual meanings of the oceans, whilst different depending on positionality, are important aspects of understanding humans’ relationship with the oceans. Currently in South Africa, cultural, social and spiritual meanings of the oceans are given little consideration in the rush for the Blue Economy and ocean governance frameworks. Neither are they widely considered in environmental conservation and management. This chapter argues that for inclusive ocean governance it is necessary to create more equitable listening forums for how different epistemologies makes sense of the oceans. The chapter draws from the research-based theatre project called Lalela uLwandle performed along the KwaZulu-Natal Coast. The chapter explores what is lost when knowledge systems are conceived as incommensurable and how this serves hegemonic interests. Importantly, it also explores what might be gained when we embody more fluid and plural epistemologies that can mould, expand, broaden and enrich our decision-making process on the ocean.
The research presented in this chapter is prepared under the One Ocean Hub, a collaborative research for sustainable development project funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) (Grant Ref: NE/S008950/1).
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Erwin, K., Pereira, T., McGarry, D., Coppen, N. (2022). Lalela uLwandle: An Experiment in Plural Governance Discussions. In: Boswell, R., O’Kane, D., Hills, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Blue Heritage. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99347-4_20
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