J-READING Journal of Research and Didactics in Geography

Images and Imaginaries of the Sea. Introduction

Erica Neri — 2024-12-18

This thematic issue comprises several contributions presented during the session on Images and imaginaries of the sea at the IGU Thematic Conference: The Ocean and the Seas in Geographical Thought. Within the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the Conference focused on marine spaces as complex and relational geographical “objects” through various focal points. Therefore, the session was committed to dealing with different visual representations of the oceans and their interconnections with other aspects of the natural world.

From where do I see the world? A learning activity with mental world maps

Daria Quatrida — 2024-12-18

This contribution shares a teaching experience centred on drawing mental maps of the world to stimulate students to reflect on the relationship between map, geography and imagery, revealing the taken-forgranted spatial ordering on which these elements are constructed. The relationship between maps and imagery has long been debated from both cartographical and geographical perspectives, opening interesting didactic directions when it comes to making students responsible for their own geographic imagination in a conscious manner. In particular, this research draws from a world mapping exercise carried out by university students during a human geography course for a master’s degree in local development at the University of Padua (Italy). Focusing on the students’ sketched world maps and on some results of the individual and collective debriefing, carried out in class, a deductive process is employed to illustrate mapping practices as a learning tool that is capable of visually developing critical and situated geographical knowledge. The approach could be adopted with groups of different ages and in various courses.

Place-Based Education for Ocean Literacy: Fostering Ocean Literacy and Place Attachment through short film

Silvia Stocco — 2024-12-18

This study explores the construction and transmission of marine images and imaginaries through a Place-Based Education (PBE) framework. It involves university students in the creation of short films focusing on their personal connections to the sea. The research explores the role of digital storytelling in shaping perceptions and fostering attachments to marine environments, using the 5E model for project design and evaluation. Data collection included pre- and post-project questionnaires, qualitative assessments of the short films, and reflections on the viewing experience. The findings highlight the transformative potential of visual storytelling in the creation of emotional and cultural connections with the sea. The study highlights the importance of using digital media to cultivate ocean literacy and citizenship, and emphasizes the power of imagery and imagination to enrich our relationship with the marine world. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of using digital media to promote marine education and civic engagement, emphasizing the power of images and imagination to enhance our relationship with the ocean.

Exploring underwater seascapes

Laurence Le Dû — 2024-12-18

The conference held in Brest in 2011 (Musard et al., 2014) marked a step forward for underwater seascape recognition, the term “seascape” being understood within the meaning of the European Landscape Convention, voted in 2000 by the Council of Europe, i.e.: “an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors”. This underwater landscape, long imagined, fantasized about or ignored, suddenly emerged in Western culture in the 1950s, with the widespread use of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus and improved underwater filming techniques. From then on, stories became rife in literature, films and comic books, and within only a few decades, representations of this “new realm” morphed into an oceanic watershed (Artaud, 2023) that called into question the unrestrained exploitation of marine resources. The early diving tales from this post-war turning point illustrate this ambiguous relationship with underwater landscapes and animals, shifting from predation to empathy.