Recent scholarship has shown how “traditional knowledge” entered the climate regime through processes of politicisation and scientisation that rendered it legible to technocratic governance, while simultaneously “re-enchanting” climate politics (Foyer & Dumoulin Kervran 2017). Building on this literature, this communication examines how Indigenous and local knowledge is performed, translated, and negotiated within ocean diplomatic arenas, focusing on observations conducted at the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC) and the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC).
Drawing on ethnographic observations of side events, plenaries, and informal networking spaces, we analyse how Indigenous knowledge holders gain access to these highly stratified diplomatic sites, under what conditions they are authorised to speak, and how their knowledge is formatted to align with dominant scientific and governance frameworks. While ocean conferences increasingly recognise Indigenous stewardship and relational ontologies of the sea, participation remains uneven, shaped by visa regimes, funding structures, institutional gatekeeping, and epistemic hierarchies.
We argue that the “oceanisation” of traditional knowledge reproduces dynamics identified in the climate arena: strategic objectification facilitates entry into global governance, yet simultaneously narrows epistemic diversity. At the same time, Indigenous narratives contribute symbolic capital to ocean diplomacy, humanising and moralising debates on areas beyond national jurisdiction. These encounters generate productive misunderstandings that both enable inclusion and sustain asymmetries of power. By situating Indigenous presence within the geography of diplomatic access, the communication contributes to critical analyses of environmental governance beyond national jurisdiction.
Reference:
Foyer, J., & Dumoulin Kervran, D. (2017). Objectifying traditional knowledge, re-enchanting the struggle against climate change. In S. Aykut, J. Foyer, & E. Morena (Eds.), Globalising the Climate: COP21 and the Climatisation of Global Debates. Routledge.
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