COLONIAL HINTER-SEAS

A Conference on Subaquatic Resources and 

Waterside Lives from the Early Modern to the Contemporary

10-11 August 2026, virtual, Zoom &

19-21 August 2026, in-person, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.

​

Where once the historiographies of land and sea were largely seen to be disconnected, this is certainly no longer the case. Under such terms as ‘terraqueous’, ‘littoral’, or ‘coastal’ histories, historians have long sought to emphasise the deep connections of communities across land, sea, and the spaces in-between. Within the context of colonial history, this has led to important new insights into histories of coastal lives, labour, trade, free and forced mobility, technologies, and law. Yet, these approaches continue to observe the sea as a space of movement and exchange without studying the extraction and consumption of below-water resources. Nevertheless, significant scholarship has been dedicated to such examinations, particularly surrounding the history of fishing and whaling—but these tend to be dominated by certain geographical and temporal boundaries that speak to only particular colonial contexts at certain times. As a result, in his recent monograph Liquid Seas (2025), Corey Ross noted that “for most of the colonial world, the interactions between imperial power and aquatic life have scarcely been investigated.” 

 

Taking place in August 2026, this in person and partly virtual conference will explore aquatic lives—broadly defined—within a colonial context across chronological, geographical, and thematic divides. We draw from Kevin Dawson’s hinter-seas (2019), which recognises how shoreside communities transformed coastal and distant seas into highly productive labor spaces that were economic, social, spiritual, and political extensions of their communities. Individuals who worked and lived with these waters engaged a whole host of activities including: fishing; whaling; salvaging; pearl-diving; beachcombing; and the harvesting of shellfish, seaweed, sea cucumbers, and other marine resources. Crucially, these activities were linked to amphibious lives in which below-water resources were essential to homemaking, consumption, spiritual practices, family and community wellbeing, as well as various economic activities centred on processing, marketing, and transportation.  Hinter-seas de-centers historical analyses that have traditionally focussed on terrestrial—or land-based—production and narratives of deep-water voyages while expressing societies’ connections to the sea, a topic that has been understudied.

 

We welcome papers that engage with any aspects of these themes, focusing on colonial contexts throughout the world between the fifteenth and twenty-first centuries. This includes but is not limited to historians working in maritime, environmental, imperial, labour, economic, cultural, and social history, as well as scholars in related fields such as anthropology, art history, geography, law, and heritage studies.

 

The virtual component of the conference will take place via Zoom on 10-11 August 2026, while the in-person component will take place at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland on 19-21 August 2026. Please note that we are unable to facilitate virtual presentations at the in-person component of the conference so please make sure to state whether you are applying to present virtually or in-person*.

 

Proposals are welcomed for individual papers of twenty minutes, three-paper panels with chair, or alternative roundtable / workshopping sessions of up to 90 minutes. Abstracts of 250 words along with a short biographical note should be submitted via our online proposal form here by 27 March 2026.

 

A note on Glasgow: Glasgow has excellent rail connections and an international airport, and is easily accessible from Edinburgh / Edinburgh Airport. Founded in the 6th century and transformed in the eighteenth century when it emerged as a major port city of the British empire, Glasgow is a historic city intrinsically connected to the history of colonialism and empire. The surrounding waterways of the River Clyde can themselves be seen as a colonial hinter-seas with deep ties especially to slaving economies in the Chesapeake and Caribbean, which included the transportation of herring caught in Scottish waters to feed enslaved labourers. Home to world-renowned museums and art galleries, including the Kelvingrove Museum (featuring the permanent “City of Empire” display), alongside a medieval cathedral, Georgian merchant houses, and Victorian City Chambers, participants will have ample opportunities to explore and engage with the history of Glasgow. 

 

* Please note that this conference is unfortunately unfunded, so we are unable to offer travel or accommodation bursaries for in-person attendance, although we are actively looking for small grants to support some postgraduate travel if possible. However, we anticipate there will be publication opportunities arising from the conference across the virtual and in-person components, such as an edited volume or journal special issue. 

 

 

Conference Organisational Team:

Valeria Mantilla Morales, David Wilson, Kevin Dawson