Annual meeting of the Social Science & Humanities Strategy Group

The Marine Social Science and Humanities Strategy Group covers a broad spectrum of marine-related research fields. However, regardless of which marine topic social and cultural scientists are researching, the respective political context is of central importance. At the DAM strategy group meeting in June 2026, we would like to discuss marine governance and related aspects of our empirical work, with a special focus on the political contribution and societal relevance of our research.

• What makes our perspectives special in the canon of marine sciences?
• How can we incorporate them in a targeted manner into ongoing political processes or public debates?
• What role do different transdisciplinary research approaches play in our work?

Political conditions are both stable and subject to disruptive events, such as when governments change, laws are passed, (global) agreements are signed, or socio-political upheavals occur at the local, national, or global level. At such times, (ad hoc) social and cultural science expertise is needed to provide a broader context for events and developments and to offer guidance. In recent years, topics such as the restoration of marine ecosystems, the expansion of the blue economy, deep-sea mining, carbon capture storage (CCS), liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, maritime security aspects, and the exploitation of (Arctic) resources have gained political significance. At the same time, our research may point to issues that will become politically relevant in a few years’ time and which should therefore be given more public attention today.

Against this context we welcome abstract submissions of no more than one page, including references, on the following topics:

• Empirical research and findings (no draft proposals) in marine social and cultural sciences against the backdrop of current (geo-)political transformations.
• Contributions that explicitly reflect on political context conditions and implications for methodological and strategic challenges for marine social and cultural sciences and that highlight research practices for dealing with these challenges (e.g., transdisciplinary research approaches).

Please send abstracts to Annegret Kuhn (annegret.kuhn@ceos.uni-kiel.de) by April 15, 2026.

Unfortunately, no subsidies for travel expenses can be granted.