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Maritime Sociology

Concern for the social importance of the sea was already evident in the classical sociology. This issue was taken up by Ferdinand Tönnies and Norbert Elias. The issue of the social impact of the sea has also become the field of interest of many Polish researchers (since the 1960s-70s). In that period the theoretical foundations of maritime sociology were developed (the theory of marinization by Ludwik Janiszewski should be emphasized here). In Szczecin, Poznań, Gdańsk, Katowice numerous empirical studies were also conducted on maritime professions, seafarers’ and fishermen’s families, shipyard workers, maritime education, organization and management on deep-sea ships.

The deterioration in the condition of the maritime economy in Poland during the transition period was accompanied by a decline in interest in maritime sociology. However, for over a decade the younger generation of researchers from Szczecin has been promoting this sociological sub-discipline in Poland and abroad. Thanks to these efforts, in 2021 at the European Sociological Meeting in Barcelona we will once again have a maritime sociology session (previous ones were held at the meetings in Lisbon 2009, Geneva 2011, Turin 2013, Prague 2015 and Manchester 2019). Similar sessions are also held as part of the national conventions of the Polish Sociological Association. In 2015 we submitted a joint Polish-German session on maritime sociology to the German Sociological Congress held in Trier. In 2018, a conference in Warsaw brought together marine sociologists from Szczecin and representatives of ‚ocean sociology’ from Japan, South Korea and China. These deliberations resulted in a trip by Institute of Sociology staff to conferences in Japan and Korea in 2019.

Currently, in collaboration with German colleagues, we are preparing two books on marine sociology containing texts by authors from all over the world interested in this issue, to be published by the world-renowned publishing house Brill. It is hoped that these books will be published later in 2021, further increasing interest in maritime sociology.

Learn more on maritime sociology in Poland and abroad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_sociology

  • Our recent publications:

    • Kowalewski, M., & Bartłomiejski, R. (2022). Paprikash (‘Paprykarz szczeciński’): transformation of maritime identities and domestication of ethnic food. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 9(1), 1-7.
    • Izdebska, K., & Kozlowska, U. (2022). The cultural landscape and maritime identity of Szczecin: The past and present of a port city. International Journal of Maritime History, 34(1), 83-100.
    • Izdebska, K., & Kozłowska, U. (2022). The Specificity of Maritime Culture. Monuments and Anti-monuments of Urban Space as a Testimony to the Maritime Character of the City of Szczecin. In Maritime Spaces and Society (pp. 163-181). Brill.
    • Grasmeier, M. C., Kołodziej-Durnaś, A., & Sowa, F. (2022). Thinking Maritime Spaces Sociologically: An Introduction. In Maritime Spaces and Society (pp. XIV-XXIX). Brill.
    • Bartłomiejski, R., & Kowalewski, M. (2022). Port Cities as Urban Assemblages. Bringing Actor-Network Theory to Maritime Sociology. In Maritime Spaces and Society (pp. 49-70). Brill.
    • Kołodziej, A., & Kołodziej-Durnaś, A. (2022). Maritime Sociology in the Making. In Maritime Spaces and Society (pp. 3-24). Brill.
    • Kołodziej, A. (2022). On Maritime Culture: Interpretations, Scope of Impact, and Controversies. In Maritime Spaces and Society (pp. 129-144). Brill.
    • Kowalewski, M (2021), Images and Spaces of Port Cities in Transition. Space and Culture, 24(1), 53–65
    • Kołodziej-Durnaś, A. (2019). The Changing Maritime Industry Sector in Poland: Organizational Field and Organizational Culture. Pomorstvo, 33(2), 241-246.
    • Kołodziej, A. (2019). The Concept of Marinization by Ludwik Janiszewski: To Understand the Influence of the Sea. 해항도시문화교섭학, (20),159-179
    • Kołodziej, A., & Kołodziej-Durnaś, A. (2018), Labour Milieu of Merchant Seamen’s Crews-Economization Versus Human Relations. Transformations in Business & Economics 17.1: 64-82
    • Kołodziej-Durnaś, A., & Kołodziej, A. (2017). The Idea of Maritime Upbringing in Poland–the Tradition and Contemporary Manifestations. Przegląd Zachodniopomorski, 219-233.
    • Bartłomiejski, R. (2016). Environmental conflicts in port cities. Opuscula Sociologica, 18(4), 33-44.
    • Chang, S. O., Kołodziej, A., & Kołodziej-Durnaś, A. (2015). The Social Position of Fishers: South Korea and Poland Compared. Annuals of Marine Sociology (Roczniki Socjologii Morskie), XXIV, 47-58.
    • Kolodziej-Durnaś, A. (2014). Maritime Sociology or Sociology of Maritime Issues? World Literature Review and Some Historical Considerations. Annuals of Marine Sociology (Roczniki Socjologii Morskie), XXIII, 54-62.
    • Sowa, F. and A. Kolodziej-Durnas ́. (2014). “A Short Introductory Note on Maritime Sociology.” Presented at the Congress of the German Sociological Association, Session on Maritime Sociology: Polish and German Perspectives on a Sociology of Maritime Spaces, October 6–10, Trier, Germany.
    • Annuals of Marine Sociology (archive issues): https://journals.pan.pl/rsm
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