Bortom en kunskapscentrerad syn på havsmedvetenhe. En kvalitativ studie av marina kolonilotter som arenor för en känslomässig och erfarenhetsbaserad relation till havet

Sammanfattning

This study explores how participants in marine community gardens describe the ways inwhich their relationship and emotional connection to the ocean have been influenced throughthe practice of marine community gardening. As well as what these experiences imply for theunderstanding of ocean literacy beyond a knowledge-based definition.Empirical material was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews withparticipants from three marine community garden initiatives located in Tjörn (Sweden),Helsingborg (Sweden), and Bærum (Norway). The study is theoretically grounded inenvironmental stewardship and ocean connectedness, with focus on the interaction betweencare, knowledge, and agency in relation to marine environments. Macro-stewardship factorssuch as organisational structures, accessibility, and opportunities for physical participationfunctioned as analytical lenses through which the material was interpreted.Results demonstrate that marine community gardens emerge as more than sites of sustainablefood production. Participants described the practice as spaces where emotional attachment tothe ocean, experiential learning, and feelings of agency developed simultaneously. Oceanconnectedness appears to develop through everyday practices, social interaction, and physicalparticipation, shaped by the broader stewardship conditions surrounding the initiatives, ratherthan through information alone. The study therefore argues that ocean literacy should beunderstood not only as knowledge about marine environments, but also as includingemotional connection, stewardship, participation, and the capacity to act.