Theoretical Implications of Maritime Sociology

The sea is certainly not one of the favourite research topics of sociology and despite a recent and new popularity among historians and geographers, the sea remains generally a stranger to contemporary sociologists. Conversely, I think that to frame and shed light on the wider theoretical implications of maritime sociology would be beneficial to all possible approaches within sociological research. In this article I intend to give my contribution to the fulfillment of the expectation of above by discussing the ways sociology can understand the sea as a truly social space, beyond any abstract dichotomies separating “grounded” societies and offshore voids. Also, I try to suggest some concrete moves to relocate maritime sociology within the wider sociological debate and to develop the heuristic potential of the sea.