ARS73701 Political Ecology of Water I

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School School of Integrated Arts and Sciences Department of Integrated Global Studies

Lecture Code ARS73701 Subject Classification Specialized Education

Subject Name Political Ecology of Water I (水域の政治生態学 I)

Subject Name
（Katakana）スイイキノセイジセイタイガク I

Subject Name in
English Political Ecology of Water I

Instructor YOSHIDA MARIKO

Instructor
(Katakana) ヨシダ　マリコ

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 2nd-Year,  Second Semester,  4Term

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (4T) Mon1-2：IAS K205

Lesson Style Lecture/Seminar Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

Combining lectures and student-led discussions, the course focuses each week on a major theme in environmental anthropology, particularly maritime ethnography, through diverse readings and online resources. It provides both theoretical grounding and hands-on engagement. Lectures will offer context and clarify key concepts, while active participation in student-led discussions will be essential.

Credits 1.0 Class Hours/Week 2 Language of Instruction E : English

Course Level 3 : Undergraduate High-Intermediate

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 11 : Cultural Anthropology

Eligible Students

Keywords Maritime Ethnography, Aquatic Environments, Ecological Violence, Seafood Production Systems, Water Governance

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)

Class Objectives
/Class Outline [Course Description]
This course explores ethnographic studies of contemporary underwater ecological dynamics. We will examine how maritime anthropology and ethnography illuminate the relationships between marine and aquatic environments and violence, critically analyze forms of ecological disruption underwater, and explore the connections between ocean resource conservation and dispossession. The course also considers how maritime anthropology contributes to contemporary debates on social and environmental change, including seafood production and water management.

While the course is recommended for advanced undergraduates—especially those considering coastal and marine topics for their theses—readings will be adjusted according to the academic level of enrolled students. Introducing interdisciplinary approaches from political ecology, maritime ethnography, and environmental anthropology, the course examines the political, economic, and social forces shaping environmental degradation and transformation in these uncertain times.

[Expected Outcome]
- Critically evaluate maritime anthropological theories, recognizing their strengths and limitations within socio-historical contexts.
- Analyze and articulate key debates at the intersection of maritime anthropology, ethnography, and environmental anthropology, linking theoretical discussions to contemporary issues.
- Apply maritime anthropology and ethnography to assess underwater precariousness and ecological challenges within historical, geographical, and cultural frameworks.
- Develop and present thoughtful critiques and reflections on class topics and peers’ analyses.
- Effectively communicate the politics of ocean change and underwater precariousness to both general and professional audiences.

Class Schedule Week 1 Introduction
[Objectives]
Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: the course outline, requirements, and expectations; the fundamental philosophical orientations in the environmental humanities and maritime anthropology.

Obligatory readings:
Mawani, Renisa. 2021. “Ocean as Method”  https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/the-ocean/oceans-as-method-law-violence-and-climate-catastrophe

Week 2  Ocean as a Method
[Objectives]
Exploring the sociopolitical contexts and consequences of marine microbial research, it focuses on the genomic analysis of microbial communities. Helmreich provides an ethnographic study of the world of marine microbiology, involving fieldwork at an aquarium, at biotech labs, at professional conferences, and on oceanographic expeditions.

Obligatory readings:
Helmreich, Stefan. 2009. “Introduction.” Alien Ocean: Anthropological Voyages in Microbial Seas. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. pp.1-30.
Helmreich, Stefan. 2011. “Nature/Culture/Seawater.” American Anthropologist 113 (1): 132-144.

Week 3 Reimagining the Sea
[Objectives]
We will explore decolonization, focusing on the interconnectedness of law, resources, and geopolitical issues in the context of Oceania.

Obligatory readings:
Hau‘ofa, Epeli, “Our Sea of Islands,” in A New Oceania: Rediscovering Our Sea of Islands, ed. Eric Waddell,
Vijay Naidu, and Epeli Hau‘ofa (Suva, Fiji: School of Social and Economic Development, University of the South Pacific / Beake House, 1993), 2-17.
Fackler, Katharina, and Silvia Schultermandl. 2023. “Kinship as Critical Idiom in Oceanic Studies.” Atlantic Studies 20 (2): 195-225.

Week 4 Economization of the Ocean
[Objectives]
How has the ocean been utilized for capital investment, and how is nature integrated into the economy—while nature, in turn, resists, adapts to, or transforms economic systems? We will examine the processes of capital accumulation, which continually seek to increase economic efficiency in production and resource management, and explore their impact on aquatic ecosystems and marginalized fishing communities.

Obligatory readings:
Asdal, Kristin, and Tone Huse. 2023. “Introduction.” Nature-Made Economy: Cod, Capital, and the Great Economization of the Ocean. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Clausen, Rebecca, and Stefano B. Longo. 2012. “The Tragedy of the Commodity and the Farce of AquAdvantage Salmon®.” Development and Change 43 (1): 229-251.

Week 5 Aquatic Agency and the Politics of Invasions
[Objectives]
We will explore the agency of “invasive” species in human-disturbed marine environments. We will examine how environments and forms of life are conceptualized and coordinated in an ecology where both lionfish and fishermen are viewed as threats. Additionally, we will discuss the domestication of salmon, exploring classificatory indeterminacies and questioning what counts as nature when “icons of wilderness” are incorporated into regimes of domestication.

Obligatory readings:
Lien, Marianne Elizabeth, and John Law. 2011.“‘Emergent Aliens’: On Salmon, Nature, and Their Enactment.” Ethnos 76 (1): 65-87.
Moore, Amelia. 2012. “The Aquatic Invaders: Marine Management Figuring Fishermen, Fisheries, and Lionfish in The Bahamas.”Cultural Anthropology 27 (4): 667-688.

Week 6 Entanglement of Biological and Synthetic Materials in the Anthropocene
[Objectives]
We will examine how human-made materials (such as plastics and biomaterials) interact with and transform marine life, blurring boundaries between natural and artificial, living and nonliving.

Obligatory readings:
Dickinson Hannah and Johnson Elizabeth. 2022. “Digesting Planetary Harms: Ocean Life, Biomaterial
Innovation, and Uncanny Ingestions of the Anthropocene.” HoST - Journal of History of Science and Technology 16 (2): 48-73.
De Wolff, Kim. 2017. “Plastic Naturecultures: Multispecies Ethnography and the Dangers of Separating Living from Nonliving Bodies.” Body & Society 23 (3): 23-47.

Week 7 Nature as Infrastructure
[Objectives]
We will critique the modern tendency to prioritize technological and human-centered solutions to environmental degradation and advocates for a more integrated, ecological approach that reimagines human-nature relationships.

Obligatory readings:
Wakefield, Stephanie. 2020. “Making Nature into Infrastructure: The Construction of Oysters as a Risk Management Solution in New York City.” Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 3 (3): 761-785.
Anderson, Ryan B. 2023. “Time, Seawalls, and Money: Anthropologies of Rising Seas and Eroding Coasts”, Environment and Society 14 (1): 23-42.

Week 8 Decolonizing Waters
[Objectives]
This week introduces the issues raised by Indigenous peoples, past and present, offering a framework for understanding global Indigenous activism and decolonizing actions.

Obligatory readings:
Todd, Zoe. 2016. “From a Fishy Place: Examining Canadian State Law Applied in the Daniels Decision from the Perspective of Métis Legal Orders.” TOPIA 36 (Fall 2016): 43-57.
Probyn, E. 2023. “Aqua/geopolitical Conjuncture and Disjuncture: Invasion, Resources, and Mining the Deep Dark Sea.” Cultural Studies 37 (4): 696-717.

[Names and Pronouns]
Students are expected to refer to their classmates by their stated names and pronouns. If you go by a different name or gender pronoun than the one that appears on the official course roster, please let me know.

The final paper will be conducted in person during the last class session.

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Please see the reading materials listed above.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc. Text, Microsoft Teams

(More Details)

Learning techniques to be incorporated Discussions, Paired Reading

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review Student Responsibilities
1. Come to class on time, prepared to engage the readings carefully and collegially.
2. Turn in assignments when they are due. You are responsible for all materials and announcements presented in class, regardless of your attendance.
3. Short reading response papers (approx. 450-500 words, 2 double-spaced pages)
Your responses should showcase a thorough understanding of the assigned texts but avoid treating them merely as summaries. Instead, use this opportunity to initiate the formulation of meaningful questions about the readings and connect them to our ongoing discussions.
4. 20-minute presentation
Present inquiries related to the readings assigned for your designated week. When attending our first class, please indicate your top preference for the week you wish to present.
5. 30-minute class discussion
6. Final Paper (In-Person Submission)
All students are required to submit a 3-page paper (double-spaced, including references) during the final class session. The paper may be based on the student’s own research interests, provided that it engages with the themes of the course and incorporates relevant course materials.

Requirements Although the courses appear separately in the registration system, students are required to enroll in both Political Ecology of Water I and II.

Grading Method Major assignments and their percentage of student grades are as follows:
Response papers:  20%
Attendance and participation:  20%
Commentary/discussion leader:  20%
Final paper (in person):  40%

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message

Other

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2026Year	School/Graduate School	School of Integrated Arts and Sciences Department of Integrated Global Studies
Lecture Code	ARS73701	Subject Classification	Specialized Education
Subject Name	Political Ecology of Water I (水域の政治生態学 I)
Subject Name （Katakana）	スイイキノセイジセイタイガク I
Subject Name in English	Political Ecology of Water I
Instructor	YOSHIDA MARIKO
Instructor (Katakana)	ヨシダ　マリコ
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	2nd-Year, Second Semester, 4Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(4T) Mon1-2：IAS K205
Lesson Style	Lecture/Seminar	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face
Combining lectures and student-led discussions, the course focuses each week on a major theme in environmental anthropology, particularly maritime ethnography, through diverse readings and online resources. It provides both theoretical grounding and hands-on engagement. Lectures will offer context and clarify key concepts, while active participation in student-led discussions will be essential.
Credits	1.0	Class Hours/Week	2	Language of Instruction	E : English
Course Level	3 : Undergraduate High-Intermediate
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	11 : Cultural Anthropology
Eligible Students
Keywords	Maritime Ethnography, Aquatic Environments, Ecological Violence, Seafood Production Systems, Water Governance
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Educational Program (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced Evaluation (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Class Objectives /Class Outline	[Course Description] This course explores ethnographic studies of contemporary underwater ecological dynamics. We will examine how maritime anthropology and ethnography illuminate the relationships between marine and aquatic environments and violence, critically analyze forms of ecological disruption underwater, and explore the connections between ocean resource conservation and dispossession. The course also considers how maritime anthropology contributes to contemporary debates on social and environmental change, including seafood production and water management. While the course is recommended for advanced undergraduates—especially those considering coastal and marine topics for their theses—readings will be adjusted according to the academic level of enrolled students. Introducing interdisciplinary approaches from political ecology, maritime ethnography, and environmental anthropology, the course examines the political, economic, and social forces shaping environmental degradation and transformation in these uncertain times. [Expected Outcome] - Critically evaluate maritime anthropological theories, recognizing their strengths and limitations within socio-historical contexts. - Analyze and articulate key debates at the intersection of maritime anthropology, ethnography, and environmental anthropology, linking theoretical discussions to contemporary issues. - Apply maritime anthropology and ethnography to assess underwater precariousness and ecological challenges within historical, geographical, and cultural frameworks. - Develop and present thoughtful critiques and reflections on class topics and peers’ analyses. - Effectively communicate the politics of ocean change and underwater precariousness to both general and professional audiences.
Class Schedule	Week 1 Introduction [Objectives] Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: the course outline, requirements, and expectations; the fundamental philosophical orientations in the environmental humanities and maritime anthropology. Obligatory readings: Mawani, Renisa. 2021. “Ocean as Method” https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/the-ocean/oceans-as-method-law-violence-and-climate-catastrophe Week 2 Ocean as a Method [Objectives] Exploring the sociopolitical contexts and consequences of marine microbial research, it focuses on the genomic analysis of microbial communities. Helmreich provides an ethnographic study of the world of marine microbiology, involving fieldwork at an aquarium, at biotech labs, at professional conferences, and on oceanographic expeditions. Obligatory readings: Helmreich, Stefan. 2009. “Introduction.” Alien Ocean: Anthropological Voyages in Microbial Seas. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. pp.1-30. Helmreich, Stefan. 2011. “Nature/Culture/Seawater.” American Anthropologist 113 (1): 132-144. Week 3 Reimagining the Sea [Objectives] We will explore decolonization, focusing on the interconnectedness of law, resources, and geopolitical issues in the context of Oceania. Obligatory readings: Hau‘ofa, Epeli, “Our Sea of Islands,” in A New Oceania: Rediscovering Our Sea of Islands, ed. Eric Waddell, Vijay Naidu, and Epeli Hau‘ofa (Suva, Fiji: School of Social and Economic Development, University of the South Pacific / Beake House, 1993), 2-17. Fackler, Katharina, and Silvia Schultermandl. 2023. “Kinship as Critical Idiom in Oceanic Studies.” Atlantic Studies 20 (2): 195-225. Week 4 Economization of the Ocean [Objectives] How has the ocean been utilized for capital investment, and how is nature integrated into the economy—while nature, in turn, resists, adapts to, or transforms economic systems? We will examine the processes of capital accumulation, which continually seek to increase economic efficiency in production and resource management, and explore their impact on aquatic ecosystems and marginalized fishing communities. Obligatory readings: Asdal, Kristin, and Tone Huse. 2023. “Introduction.” Nature-Made Economy: Cod, Capital, and the Great Economization of the Ocean. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Clausen, Rebecca, and Stefano B. Longo. 2012. “The Tragedy of the Commodity and the Farce of AquAdvantage Salmon®.” Development and Change 43 (1): 229-251. Week 5 Aquatic Agency and the Politics of Invasions [Objectives] We will explore the agency of “invasive” species in human-disturbed marine environments. We will examine how environments and forms of life are conceptualized and coordinated in an ecology where both lionfish and fishermen are viewed as threats. Additionally, we will discuss the domestication of salmon, exploring classificatory indeterminacies and questioning what counts as nature when “icons of wilderness” are incorporated into regimes of domestication. Obligatory readings: Lien, Marianne Elizabeth, and John Law. 2011.“‘Emergent Aliens’: On Salmon, Nature, and Their Enactment.” Ethnos 76 (1): 65-87. Moore, Amelia. 2012. “The Aquatic Invaders: Marine Management Figuring Fishermen, Fisheries, and Lionfish in The Bahamas.”Cultural Anthropology 27 (4): 667-688. Week 6 Entanglement of Biological and Synthetic Materials in the Anthropocene [Objectives] We will examine how human-made materials (such as plastics and biomaterials) interact with and transform marine life, blurring boundaries between natural and artificial, living and nonliving. Obligatory readings: Dickinson Hannah and Johnson Elizabeth. 2022. “Digesting Planetary Harms: Ocean Life, Biomaterial Innovation, and Uncanny Ingestions of the Anthropocene.” HoST - Journal of History of Science and Technology 16 (2): 48-73. De Wolff, Kim. 2017. “Plastic Naturecultures: Multispecies Ethnography and the Dangers of Separating Living from Nonliving Bodies.” Body & Society 23 (3): 23-47. Week 7 Nature as Infrastructure [Objectives] We will critique the modern tendency to prioritize technological and human-centered solutions to environmental degradation and advocates for a more integrated, ecological approach that reimagines human-nature relationships. Obligatory readings: Wakefield, Stephanie. 2020. “Making Nature into Infrastructure: The Construction of Oysters as a Risk Management Solution in New York City.” Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 3 (3): 761-785. Anderson, Ryan B. 2023. “Time, Seawalls, and Money: Anthropologies of Rising Seas and Eroding Coasts”, Environment and Society 14 (1): 23-42. Week 8 Decolonizing Waters [Objectives] This week introduces the issues raised by Indigenous peoples, past and present, offering a framework for understanding global Indigenous activism and decolonizing actions. Obligatory readings: Todd, Zoe. 2016. “From a Fishy Place: Examining Canadian State Law Applied in the Daniels Decision from the Perspective of Métis Legal Orders.” TOPIA 36 (Fall 2016): 43-57. Probyn, E. 2023. “Aqua/geopolitical Conjuncture and Disjuncture: Invasion, Resources, and Mining the Deep Dark Sea.” Cultural Studies 37 (4): 696-717. [Names and Pronouns] Students are expected to refer to their classmates by their stated names and pronouns. If you go by a different name or gender pronoun than the one that appears on the official course roster, please let me know. The final paper will be conducted in person during the last class session.
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Please see the reading materials listed above.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.	Text, Microsoft Teams
(More Details)
Learning techniques to be incorporated	Discussions, Paired Reading
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	Student Responsibilities 1. Come to class on time, prepared to engage the readings carefully and collegially. 2. Turn in assignments when they are due. You are responsible for all materials and announcements presented in class, regardless of your attendance. 3. Short reading response papers (approx. 450-500 words, 2 double-spaced pages) Your responses should showcase a thorough understanding of the assigned texts but avoid treating them merely as summaries. Instead, use this opportunity to initiate the formulation of meaningful questions about the readings and connect them to our ongoing discussions. 4. 20-minute presentation Present inquiries related to the readings assigned for your designated week. When attending our first class, please indicate your top preference for the week you wish to present. 5. 30-minute class discussion 6. Final Paper (In-Person Submission) All students are required to submit a 3-page paper (double-spaced, including references) during the final class session. The paper may be based on the student’s own research interests, provided that it engages with the themes of the course and incorporates relevant course materials.
Requirements	Although the courses appear separately in the registration system, students are required to enroll in both Political Ecology of Water I and II.
Grading Method	Major assignments and their percentage of student grades are as follows: Response papers: 20% Attendance and participation: 20% Commentary/discussion leader: 20% Final paper (in person): 40%
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message
Other
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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