The Phenomenon of Fishing in the Context of Human-Northern Nature Interaction: Network, Vitality, Communication

  • Andrei M. Sergeev Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia; St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1553-4238
  • Vasilii M. Voronov Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3109-3655
  • Konstantin Ya. Kotkin Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia; Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore, Murmansk, Russia; Center for Arctic and Siberian Studies of the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences – Branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3281-3036
  • Veronika V. Simonova Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia; Center for Arctic and Siberian Studies of the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences – Branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1167-7589
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2023.7.3.238

Abstract

The article analyzes the fishing phenomenon in the context of interaction between people and Northern nature. An attempt is made to move away from a purely social aspect of considering the phenomenon and come to a broader, namely, network-related context of its understanding. The theoretical and methodological approach (theoretical framework) of the research team is based on: (a) the actor-network theory of French sociologist Bruno Latour and his conceptual studies on the history of understanding of “nature” that serve, directly or indirectly, as the basis for the modern Western ecological discourse; (b) Vladimir V. Bibikhin’s phenomenological reception of the Aristotelian understanding of living nature as a kind of perfect automaton, i.e., self-moving order of living matter change; (c) Yan V. Chesnov’s conceptual understanding of the phenomenon of “vitality” as part of the development of Nikolay A. Nosov’s virtual paradigm. At the empirical level, the research used the method of in-depth and expert interviews. 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted in the spring and fall of 2022 in the Murmansk region. All the respondents were directly or indirectly connected with fishing practice: fishermen of the Murmansk region, including those who systematically violate fishing rules for the Northern Fishery Basin, employees of the territorial department of Rosrybolovstvo [Russian Federal Fisheries Agency], employees of Poliarnyi nauchno-issledovatel’skii institut morskogo rybnogo khoziaistva i okeanografii (PINRO) [Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography] named after N. M. Knipovich, representatives of local administration in the Tersky, Kola, and Kandalaksha districts of the Murmansk region, representatives of the tourist branch, etc. The interviews became the empirical basis of the research. This paper considers the popularity of informal fishing practices in the Murmansk region as an expression of existential and mental craving in response to the stimulating appeal, or even “challenge”, of nature. Accordingly, the researchers link the inherent desire of fishermen to catch fish for food, refreshment, and sale not so much with the sociocultural context, as with the natural (vital) desire to fulfill oneself as a natural being. The work understands the natural not as being in opposition to the social order, but as underlying and permeating that order.

Author Biographies

Andrei M. Sergeev, Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia; St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

Andrei M. Sergeev, Dr. Sci. (Philosophy), is a Leading Researcher, Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Murmansk Arctic University; Professor, Department of Philosophical Anthropology, Institute of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State University. His research interests embrace philosophical anthropology, philosophy of nature, and philosophy of consciousness. His most recent publications is Sergeev, A., Nachala i Kontsy [Beginnings and Ends] (2022).

Vasilii M. Voronov, Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia

Vasilii M. Voronov, Cand. Sci. (Philosophy), is a Senior Researcher, Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Murmansk Arctic University. His research interests lie in the areas of philosophical anthropology, philosophy of nature, philosophy of health, sociology of health, social anthropology, and informal economy. One of his most recent publications is Voronov, V. M. (co-authored), Ethical Dimension of the Fishing Poaching Problem (Based on the Material of Fishermen's Language Games in the Murmansk Oblast) (2022).

Konstantin Ya. Kotkin, Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia; Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore, Murmansk, Russia; Center for Arctic and Siberian Studies of the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences – Branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

Konstantin Ya. Kotkin, Cand. Sci. (Philosophy), Associate Professor, Murmansk Arctic University; Keeper of Museum Objects, Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore; Associate Researcher, Center for Arctic and Siberian Studies of the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences–Branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is interested in the problems of social anthropology, ethnography, and social (cultural) memory. One of his most recent publications is Kotkin, K. Ya. (co-authored), Ethical Dimension of the Fishing Poaching Problem (Based on the Material of Fishermen's Language Games in the Murmansk Oblast) (2022).

Veronika V. Simonova, Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia; Center for Arctic and Siberian Studies of the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences – Branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

Veronika V. Simonova, PhD (Anthropology), Murmansk Arctic University; Director, Center for Arctic and Siberian Studies of the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences–Branch of the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Her research interests involve social anthropology, ethnography, and informal economy. Her most recent publication is Simonova, V. (co-authored), Humans in the Siberian Landscapes. Ethnocultural Dynamics and Interaction with Nature and Space (2022).

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Published
2023-10-06
How to Cite
Sergeev, A., Voronov, V., Kotkin, K., & Simonova, V. (2023). The Phenomenon of Fishing in the Context of Human-Northern Nature Interaction: Network, Vitality, Communication. Changing Societies & Personalities, 7(3), 10–28. doi:10.15826/csp.2023.7.3.238
Citation Formats
Issue
Vol. 7, No. 3 (2023)
Section
Articles