The Coast as a Learning Space: Participatory Anthropology in Small-Scale Fisheries Management

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_57How to use a DOI?

Keywords

participatory anthropology; coastal communities; social learning; blue justice; local knowledge

Abstract

This study examines the coast as a learning space using a participatory anthropological approach to understand how coastal communities, scientists, and supporting organizations co-construct knowledge in managing small-scale fisheries amid climate change. Employing participatory ethnography in the Spermonde Archipelago (September 2024–May 2025), the research highlights three key aspects: processes of social learning, dialogue between local and scientific knowledge, and the moral–spiritual meanings of the sea for coastal communities. The findings show that social learning serves as both an adaptive and political mechanism, enabling fishers to develop resilient livelihood strategies in response to ecological changes. The dialogue between science and local experience fosters a co-production of knowledge that enhances legitimacy and effectiveness in community-based governance. Moreover, moral and spiritual ecological values—such as the octopus opening –closure system and sea rituals—constitute an ethical foundation for sustainability that binds humans and nature in a reciprocal relationship. The study concludes that the success of coastal governance depends on local actors’ capacity to learn together, negotiate, and sustain ethical relations with the sea. Participatory anthropology thus contributes to building adaptive and socially just governance based on dialogical knowledge exchange and ecological spirituality.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Ashmarita
AU  - Pawennari Hijjang
AU  - La Ode Topo Jers
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/13
TI  - The Coast as a Learning Space: Participatory Anthropology in Small-Scale Fisheries Management
BT  - Proceedings of the World Conference on Governance and Social Sciences 2025 (WCGSS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 837
EP  - 849
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_57
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_57
ID  - 2026
ER  -