About

Maritime Anthropology Research Group (MARG) is a multidisciplinary research platform that places Indonesian maritime culture at the core of studies on human-ocean relations within the broader context of terrestrial, aerial, and global dimensions—particularly within the framework of the Maritime Continent of Indonesia (Benua Maritim Indonesia). MARG was established in response to the growing complexity of challenges faced by coastal and island communities, including ecological crises, social transformations, and cultural representations in the media. It seeks to formulate a holistic and reflective approach that bridges anthropology with cultural ecology, organizational culture, media studies, communication, history, and maritime archaeology.

Maritime culture is not merely an economic system or a set of seafaring techniques; it represents a meaningful way of life. It involves oceanic cosmologies that intersect with land and sky, ritual practices, customary maritime laws, social structures, and empirical relationships between human communities and their marine environments. Embedded within these lifeways are intergenerational ecological knowledge systems, social communication mechanisms, and community-based organizational structures that govern access to marine resources and services in equitable and sustainable ways.

In the context of globalization and the pervasive influence of media technologies, MARG aims to understand how maritime communities respond to change through various forms of expression—from local narratives embedded in rituals and oral traditions to visual representations in digital media and strategic communication for policy advocacy. Cultural communication is regarded as a vital force in preserving, transforming, and asserting maritime socio-cultural values amid the currents of modernization.

Through a glocal (global-local) perspective, MARG examines how maritime communities are not merely passive recipients of global shifts—such as marine tourism, the blue economy, or international marine conservation—but are also active agents who reconfigure these agendas based on their own cultural logics. We believe that local maritime wisdom offers critical contributions to global debates on sustainability, social justice, and the future of the world’s oceans.

Methodologically, MARG integrates ethnographic research, media and communication analysis, and participatory approaches that treat local communities as equal partners in the co-production of knowledge. Our team consists of scholars from diverse disciplines—anthropology, cultural history and maritime archaeology, communication studies, human ecology, and organizational sociology—allowing us to address the complexities of maritime culture through a cross-disciplinary lens.