WAVES
Women’s Archipelagic NarratiVES. Gendered Eco-consciousness in Water-related Anglophone Literature
Project
About
WAVES examines representations of water in archipelagic literature by contemporary anglophone women writers through the lens of Material Ecocriticism. Focusing on the storied materiality of the ocean, it contributes to the transdisciplinary field of the Blue Humanities and brings together insights from oceanography, critical ocean studies, feminist theory, and postcolonial scholarship.
At its core, the project seeks to challenge utilitarian and patriarchal social imaginaries of water by showing how literary texts can reshape the ways we understand, value, and relate to the ocean. It argues that combining scientific research with poetic imagination can help improve ocean literacy and foster a more inclusive, disanthropocentric perspective on aquatic environments. In doing so, the project aims to deepen understanding of water as a dynamic force that shapes human and more-than-human life, while also strengthening emotional, cultural, and intellectual connections between people and the sea.
WAVES is situated at the intersection of archipelagic studies, diaspora studies, gender studies, and the Blue Humanities. Using Material Ecocriticism as its main analytical framework, it explores how contemporary archipelagic fiction represents water not only as a physical element, but also as a living entity, a carrier of memory and meaning, and a space of transition for diasporic movement.
Objectives and expected outcomes
WAVES has three specific objectives. First, it seeks to demonstrate that literary portrayals of water in contemporary archipelagic fiction can influence perceptions and uses of the ocean by presenting it as a vital, relational, and historically embedded presence. Second, it aims to bridge the gender divide in ocean science by showing how women writers can generate, circulate, and enrich ocean knowledge through literary production. Third, it highlights diasporic experiences within and beyond the archipelago as a significant but often overlooked theme in archipelagic narratives.
The expected outcomes include the promotion of a new understanding of the ocean’s social, cultural, and economic value, as well as its role in supporting emancipation, health, and well-being. These insights will be disseminated through open-access publications, outreach activities, and educational initiatives. The project also aims to broaden the presence of women authors from Atlantic and Pacific archipelagos in ocean science discussions, conferences, publications, and curricula. In the longer term, it seeks to support constructive and sustainable action, especially among younger generations, by encouraging new ways of thinking about and engaging with aquatic environments.
The project is carried out in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Environmental Humanities Center at Cappadocia University.
Research
Corpus
The project examines five contemporary novels by archipelagic women writers, published between 2006 and 2020. The selected texts are:
- Kiana Davenport’s “House of Many Gods” (2006), set in Hawai’i;
- Edwidge Danticat’s “Claire of the Sea Light” (2013), set in Haiti;
- Tiphanie Yanique’s “Land of Love and Drowning” (2014), set in the Virgin Islands;
- Monique Roffey’s “The Mermaid of Black Conch” (2020), set on an imaginary Caribbean island;
- and Lani Wendt Young’s “Afakasi Woman” (2019), set in Samoa.
Together, these works offer a representative corpus for a gendered material ecocritical analysis of water in archipelagic fiction.
Research phases and methodology
WAVES is organised into four phases: preliminary research and literature review; material ecocritical analysis of the selected texts from a gender perspective; exploration of the migration–water nexus; and a cross-cultural and comparative study of the corpus.
The study combines methods and perspectives from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It brings together close reading, cross-cultural comparison, and participatory research with principles drawn from oceanography, including ecosystem modelling and geospatial analysis. These approaches are used to examine the material-discursive significance of the archipelago as both an ecological system and a cultural formation.
Contribution and innovation
WAVES addresses key gaps in ecocriticism, Blue Humanities, and archipelagic studies. It responds to the “ocean deficit” in literary studies by foregrounding contemporary female archipelagic fiction as a vital site for exploring the expressive and agentic dimensions of oceanic waterscapes. Through a material ecocritical and gender-aware lens, it promotes a disanthropocentric understanding of water and challenges utilitarian attitudes toward the ocean. The project also expands the Blue Humanities beyond its predominantly Atlantic focus by including Pacific-centered texts and engaging with non-Western water cultures. In line with the UN Ocean Decade and the 2030 Agenda, it combines literary analysis with scientific knowledge to promote ocean literacy, highlight Indigenous knowledge, and bridge the gender gap in water-related knowledge production. In addition, it treats diaspora as a central concern, using the ocean as a framework for understanding mobility, displacement, and relationality in the contemporary world.
Outreach
The main findings of the project will be shared through dissemination outcomes such as academic publications, international conferences, and seminars, as well as through communication activities such as blog posts, public talks, collaborations with schools, and digital outreach.
Team
Principal Investigator
