Black Ocean Relationality: Diverse Connections Between Black Communities and Marine Environments

• In Event: Disaster, Conservation, and Sovereignty

Description for Program

This work examines the dynamic relationships between Afro-descendant communities and marine environments through an interdisciplinary lens. This proposed research will develop the concept of “oceanic kinship” as a theoretical framework to understand how these communities engage with the ocean as a site of healing, memory, and ecological responsibility. The study will employ mixed methodologies combining critical theory, oral histories, and ethnographic research to investigate how Black diasporic communities articulate and enact relationships with the ocean through cultural practices, organizational initiatives, and embodied engagement. Drawing on Black feminist theory and environmental humanities, this work will develop “oceanic kinship” as a cornerstone of the emerging field of decolonial ocean studies, challenging colonial paradigms while advocating for relational approaches to marine conservation. The research aims to make three key contributions: centering Black diasporic knowledge in marine conservation discourse, documenting how community initiatives operationalize relational frameworks through advocacy and education, and analyzing how embodied practices shape Black connections to marine environments. Through multiple methodological approaches, this research seeks to contribute to Ocean and Human Health studies while advancing more equitable and inclusive approaches to marine conservation.

Author

• Jillian Lyles, Stanford University