Diving into Blue Humanities

By raquelsouza, 8 October, 2024

We are happy to welcome you aboard our new journey into the Blue Humanities. The term was first coined in 2009 by the American professor Steve Mentz, it proposed a different direction to humanities focusing on culture, history and society using the sea as reference point. While this field has already been explored, we believe we can bring new waves to the conversation. This is why we will be navigating this topic over the coming months. 

We have started our research by developing a comprehensive database which complies to nearly 70 films selected for their connection to the sea. Based on this database, we have created an interactive map where it is possible to learn more about each of these films. 

Moreover, we have been working on a database focusing on Blue Utopias. In utopian narratives, the sea is often portrayed as a utilitarian means, while the real focus is beyond it. We aim to deepen this understanding and explore alternative utopian visions of the sea through our research. We welcome suggestions for additional films and books to be included in our databases, which will soon be added to CETAPS repository

Finally, to celebrate this new phase we will also be hosting a cinema cycle based on Blue Humanities, more details about it will be announced soon.