culture

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Narratives

Narratives

The second chapter of”Wetland Times,” “Narratives.”

Wetland Times

Wetlands are ecologically dynamic and vulnerable landscapes where multiple temporalities, human and nonhuman, intersect and challenge one another. This virtual exhibition explores the dynamic temporalities of wetlands and their complex relationships—the temporal imaginaries, narratives, structures, flows, (a)synchronicities, and ruptures they contain—framed by a conceptual vocabulary that reveals the role of language in understanding wetland times and temporalities. Our examples draw on case studies from three wetlands: the Wadden Sea in Northern Europe; Morecambe Bay, in the northwest of the United Kingdom; and the Dja-Et-Lobo region in southern Cameroon, focusing specifically on wetland areas near settlements of the Baka people.

About the Exhibition

About the author

Azambuja, Enaiê Mairê
Azambuja, Enaiê Mairê

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Dr. Enaiê Mairê Azambuja is a fellow in environmental humanities in the School of Global Affairs at Lancaster University. Her work primarily focuses on literature and poetry, and she is interested in the intersections between ecological thought, cultural narratives, and the environmental imagination.

Ewing, Blake
Ewing, Blake

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Dr. Blake Ewing is an assistant professor of political theory at the University of Nottingham. His core interest is in the politics of time, with a focus on this project on the temporalities of conservation practices.

Thomas, Nicola
Thomas, Nicola

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Dr. Nicola Thomas is a lecturer in the School of Global Affairs at Lancaster University. She is interested in cultural ways of understanding space, time, and the environment, across languages.

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Exhibition Overview
Introduction
Imaginaries
Narratives
Structures
Flows
(A)synchronicities
Ruptures

Woman of the Dunes

Woman of the Dunes

A reflection on dunes through the perspective of history by Joana Gaspar de Freitas.

Once Upon a Dune: Coastal (Hi)Stories

In April 2024, during a workshop at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, specialists from different countries and backgrounds talked about dunes. In addition to the scientific topics presented, we discussed how to make our work more compelling and accessible to a wider audience. We wanted to share our plural views on coastal issues and the importance of taking this diversity into account when managing for the future, because beaches are made up of sea and sand, but also of people’s expectations and choices. This exhibition is our way to do this. Each of us has chosen an image/object that represents our personal connection with the coast. We do not want to present results or conclusions; as in a museum or art gallery, it is up to you to find meaning and to write your own script based on your impressions.

About the Exhibition

About the author

Gaspar de Freitas, Joana
Gaspar de Freitas, Joana

Center for History of the University of Lisbon, Portugal

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Joana Gaspar de Freitas is a researcher at the Center for History of the University of Lisbon. Between 2018 and 2024, she was the principal investigator of the ERC-funded project DUNES: Sea, Sand, and People, and she is a co-editor of the journal Coastal Studies and Society. Her teaching and research interests lie in the environmental history of coastal zones, with a focus on risks and vulnerability, extreme events, climate change adaptation, coastal management, and the ocean’s cultural heritage. Joana was a fellow at the Linda Hall Library in 2014 and a Carson Fellow in 2015.

Browse the exhibition

Exhibition Overview
Woman of the Dunes
Only the Dunes Could
The Fury of Fiona
Mediterranean Dunes: Environmental Authoritarianism
Managing the Seed Legacy
In the Low Country
Portuguese Crowberries
Ocean Swimming
A Day at the Beach...
Travelling Artists Exploring Southern Brazil
Sea, Dunes, Winds, and People: Connections That Transform
Sand Lovers
A (Happy) Story of Coastal Erosion and Dunes
Human Pressures
The Environment & Society Portal is a project of the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, an institute founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of LMU Munich and the Deutsches Museum. Read more about the Portal in English and in German.