In recent decades, the small coastal town of Andenes in northern Norway has gained a reputation as one of the best places in Europe to see whales. Drawing on two summers of PhD fieldwork as a whale-watching guide, this presentation examines the role of guides in moderating the affective atmospheres of tours. It suggests reading whales’ natural rhythms in relation to literary elements and storytelling structures, exploring the formative role of whale presences—and absences—during encounters.
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee will be served.
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Sadie Hale is a PhD researcher with the SEATIMES project in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. She researches human–whale relations, primarily in tourism contexts, drawing on fieldwork in the Norwegian Arctic and the Azores, Portugal. She convenes the open interdisciplinary course Ocean Anthropology at UiB and is co-host and co-founder of the Anthropology on Air podcast.
Website: https://www.sadiehale.eu/