The ocean has been considered a socially constructed space for some time (Steinberg 2001). However, a systematic account of what kind of political space seas and ocean are, or are considered to be, is still elusive, particularly in political science. In my talk, I approach this question from the vantage point of the so-called territorialisation of the ocean. In the first part of the talk, I show that the ocean differentiates and partly dissociates dimensions of territorial space(s) that interlink on land. In short: With regard to established conceptions of political space, the ocean works like a prism. This entails challenges for ocean politics and for ordering the oceans. In the second part of my talk, I therefore turn to the notion of sovereignty at sea to address the question of how sovereignty, in particular, and political agency, in general, (can) adapt to oceanic conditions.
Anna Meine is a senior lecturer in Political Science at the University of Münster. Her research focuses on questions of democratic theory and international political theory, in particular on questions of political agency and legitimate institution-building within and beyond the state. Since 2024, she has turned her attention to sea spaces and oceanic ordering. She is currently working on conceptions of the ocean as a political space and on ideas and patterns of ordering the oceans, exploring how the two are interrelated and shape perspectives on ocean politics.