Are you intrigued by the combination of art and research? Do you think relations between humans and aquatic mammals like whales are interesting? Welcome to the opening of our new exhibition which visualizes the research project "Whales of Power" through embroidery art pieces, photograps and objects.
The ethics of whaling are determined by whether one understands whales as a resource or as endangered species.
Earlier this year, Whales of Power PhD candidate Marius Palz told us about his first fieldwork experiences. Now that he has been in Okinawa for several months, it is time for an update.
The second WhoP PhD candidate has made it to Asia and started his field research! In the last month, Marius Palz has successfully navigated Japanese travel restrictions, spent time in quarantine, met his first dugong, and moved to Okinawa. An account of his experiences.
Getting access to the field is not easy this year. But Whales of Power PhD candidate Anh Tuan Nguyen has finally made it to Da Nang, Vietnam, where he will spend the next nine months doing ethnographic research. An account of his adventures.
This spring, the edited volume Sacred Heritage in Japan was published by Routledge. The book is edited by WhoP PI Aike Rots, together with Mark Teeuwen from the same department.
We are now in the second year of our project. It is not quite going as planned. This is the year in which we should have made significant progress with our data collection, but unfortunately all team members have had to postpone their fieldwork due to Covid-19. We also had to cancel academic events, postpone conference presentations, and cope with other uncertainties. An overview of a strange semester.
Almost a year has passed since Whales of Power started. The project is still in its early stages - much work remains to be done in the coming years - but some important first steps have been made. Now that we are approaching the end of 2019, WhoP project leader Aike Rots looks back at the first year.
Last week, Florence Durney started as a postdoc in the Whales of Power project. The next three years, she will be conducting research on traditional whaling, religion, and ecology in Indonesia. Here she introduces herself and her project.
Whales of Power currently has three PhD researchers. Sonja Åman and Tuan Anh Nguyen started in September 2019. They conduct research on, respectively, whaling and spirituality among indigenous peoples around the Pacific Ocean and contemporary Vietnamese whale god worship. Marius Palz started in November 2019. His research focuses on the historical and contemporary meanings of the Okinawan dugong. They introduce themselves and their projects.
Whales of Power has advertised a three-year postdoctoral research fellowship. The application deadline is 11 August 2019.
A fully-funded PhD position in Okinawan studies is available in the context of the Whales of Power project. The successful candidate will conduct research on the historical and contemporary significance of the dugong in Okinawan culture.
Are you interested in coming to Norway and joining Whales of Power as a visiting researcher?
Whales of Power is advertising three fully funded PhD positions in Asian studies! The PhD candidates will conduct research on, respectively, the sacred dugong in Okinawa, Vietnamese whale god worship, and notions of "indigenous" nature spirituality.
Whales of Power is advertising a three-year postdoc position! The successful candidate will conduct research on sacred dolphins and nature conservation in the Yangtze and Mekong rivers.
