The Social Construction of the Ocean

This 2001 book discusses the changing uses, regulations and representation of the sea from 1450 to now.

Philip E. Steinberg (Author)

9780521804431, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 October 2001

258 pages, 12 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.55 kg

'… this thoughtful, engaging, and clearly written book is noteworthy for giving prominence to spaces of the world that have been largely ignored. It contributes not only to our knowledge of the oceans, but also to that of geohistorical productions of space throughout the modern period.' Becky Mansfield, Environment & Planning A

This 2001 book presents a history of the uses, regulations and representation of the world-ocean, from approximately 1450 through the present. This history is told through a 'territorial political economy' lens, borrowing from world-systems theory, economic-geographic studies of the spatiality of capitalism, political-geographic work on the history of territoriality, and post-structural work on social conflict in the production of space. Just as the modern era has been characterized by a conflicting set of dynamic and contested spatiality on land, so has it been characterized by a conflicting set of spatial functions at sea. Evidence is marshaled from legal texts, literary and artistic creations, cartographic representations, advertisements, commercial and military history, and policy debates. The book concludes by considering how lessons learned from the history of the ocean may be applied to emerging spaces, such as cyberspace, where there is a similarly problematic 'fit' between social processes and the institutions of state governance.

Introduction: from Davy Jones' locker to the Foot Locker: the case of the floating Nikes
1. The social construction of ocean-space
2. Ocean-space in non-modern societies
3. Ocean-space and merchant capitalism
4. Ocean-space and industrial capitalism
5. Ocean-space and postmodern capitalism
6. Beyond postmodern capitalism, beyond ocean-space.

Subject Areas: The environment [RN], Geography [RG], Law of the sea [LBBK], Political economy [KCP], International trade [KCLT], Armed conflict [JPWS], International relations [JPS], General & world history [HBG]