Seminar on Blue Humanities, Liquid Media and Planetary Futures: Fluid Perspectives on Culture and Society

Organizer: The Postgraduate Department of English and Centre for Research, Baselius College, Kottayam (Autonomous), Keralam, In association with Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam

About the Seminar

• When: 14 & 15 January 2027 
• Mode: Hybrid
• Call for Papers
• Selected papers will be published as book chapters in an ISBN publication.

The seminar aims to cultivate new ways of thinking about waternot merely as a natural resource or geographical entity, but as a cultural, ecological, political and philosophical presence. At the same time, it seeks to understand contemporary media as dynamic spaces of circulation in which identities, narratives, knowledge and cultural practices continuously transform.

Concept Note

The contemporary world is increasingly defined by conditions of mobility, fluidity, ecological uncertainty and interconnectedness. Oceans, rivers, wetlands, lakes and other aquatic spaces are no longer perceived merely as geographical entities or passive backgrounds to human activity. They have emerged as dynamic cultural, ecological, political and affective spaces that shape human histories, identities, economies and modes of existence. It is within this context that Blue Humanities offers a significant critical framework for rethinking the relationship between humans and the aquatic world. Moving beyond the traditional land-centred orientation of the humanities, Blue Humanities foregrounds oceans, seas, rivers and other water bodies as active forces in shaping cultures, histories, narratives and social relations. It encourages an awareness of the interconnectedness of human and non-human worlds. Water becomes not simply a resource to be used or a space to be crossed, but an environment that generates histories, memories, identities, vulnerabilities and forms of belonging. The relevance of such an approach becomes particularly pronounced in the contemporary moment. Aquatic environments invite the humanities to reconsider established categories such as place, territory, borders, identity, community and belonging. The recent planetary turn in Humanities and Social Sciences (as discussed in the 62nd German Geography Congress held in 2023) emphasizes the necessity of thinking in this direction.

The seminar aims to cultivate new ways of thinking about water not merely as a natural resource or geographical entity, but as a cultural, ecological, political and philosophical presence. At the same time, it seeks to understand contemporary media as dynamic spaces of circulation in which identities, narratives, knowledge and cultural practices.

The term ‘liquid media’ draws attention to the fluidity of media, communication, cultural forms and technological practices. Digital networks, streaming platforms, social media, mobile technologies and transnational communication have tranformed the ways in which information; images, narratives and cultural practices circulate. Like water, contemporary media flows across boundaries, changes form, connects distant locations and constantly negotiates between containment and movement. The metaphor of liquidity offers a useful conceptual vocabulary for examining the circulation and transformation of cultural meanings in an increasingly networked world. The theme is especially significant in the Indian context, where rivers, backwaters, coastlines, seas, monsoons and wetlands are deeply embedded in cultural memory, literature, economy and everyday life. Keralam, with its extensive coastline, rivers, backwaters and maritime history, offers a particularly rich context for exploring aquatic cultures and their contemporary transformations. The seminar can consequently create meaningful dialogues between local ecological experiences and wider global discussions in the Blue Humanities and Environmental Humanities.

Thrust Areas

Submissions of original academic papers pertaining to, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Water as Space, Place and Environment
• Water, Literature and Cultural Representation
• Oceans, Rivers and Seas: Oceanic Narratives and Storytelling
• Maritime Cultures, Histories and Colonial Encounters
• Indigenous Water Knowledge, Memory and Heritage
• Water, Ecology and the Anthropocene
• Water, Vulnerability, Displacement and Collective Trauma
• Ecological Grief, Memory and Loss
• Sacred Waters, Rituals and Cultural Practices
• Water, Regional Identities and Communities
• Gender, Sexuality and Queer Aquatic Spaces
• Water, Body and Embodiment
• Water, Technology and Digital Cultures
• Virtual Oceans, Cinema and Digital Storytelling
• Graphic Narratives and Aquatic Worlds
• Planetary Futures, Posthumanism and Blue Humanities

Guidelines to Submit the Abstract:

• Name of the Paper presenter, Designation, Department, Organization/University affiliated to
• Title of the Paper in bold
• Font Size 12, Times New Roman, Word limit-300 words
• Keywords

Email abstracts to: englishdeptnationalseminar@gmail.com

Full papers in MLA 9th edition format are to be submitted on or before 6th January, 2027.

Registration Fee:

• STUDENTS: Participation: ₹200; Presentation: ₹500
• RESEARCH SCHOLARS: Participation: ₹500; Presentation: ₹750
• FACULTY: Participation: ₹500; Presentation: ₹1000

Important Dates:

• Last date for the submission of abstracts (300 words): 5th December, 2026.
• Intimation of selected papers: 8th December, 2026.
• Last date for the submission of full paper (2500-3000 words): 6th January, 2027.

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Manoj Narayanan K.S.Principal-in-charge

Mr. Steve Vincent (Head of the Department): 9387607154

Ms. Chithra Mary Philip (Coordinator): 8921224362

Ms. Susanna Thomas (Coordinator): 9567921201

Contact: englishdeptnationalseminar@gmail.com