This presentation seeks to explain the components of the Anthropology of the Sea and to rationalize the emergence of a thematic network at the Catalan Institute of Anthropology (ICA). Our objective is to examine the historical and contemporary dimensions of anthropological research conducted in maritime environments. Although early anthropological endeavors did not explicitly focus on maritime activities, their attention to island communities in Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia revealed the profound influence of the sea on livelihoods, resources, and peaceful trade routes, elements as vital to human geography as any terrestrial feature. Notably, in the 1960s, anthropologists at the University of Hawaii re-established traditional sailing routes as a means of conserving maritime knowledge and skills. In the 1970s, growing interest in cultural ecology shifted attention towards fisheries. From the 1990s onward, Marine Social Science emerged as an interdisciplinary field involving geographers, sociologists, and anthropologists, addressing issues from onboard research to community-based studies, governance, and the intersection of regional, national, and international legal frameworks. Furthermore, this research explores maritime infrastructure, international trade, and the development of sustainable and renewable energy systems, among other emerging themes, through a transdisciplinary lens.
