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

Abstract

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