#202 Outlaw Ocean – Ian Urbina’s Book is STS1Book for 2024-25 | WeAreSTS

Ian Urbina’s 2019 book, Outlaw Ocean, brilliantly investigates hidden worlds of human activity on the high seas. From modern day pirates and traffickers to gargantuan fishing fleets to “freedom-loving” recluses and entrepreneurs, his stories build on the idea of oceans as lawless spaces well beyond the awareness of most people. He documents extremes of human behaviour. He also describes the extraordinary scale of extraction and exploitation that takes place off shore. In this world, who’s “free” and what are the consequences of “lawless” spaces?Outlaw Ocean is this year’s selection for the STS1Book programme. In this episode, Dr Michel Wahome talks about why she recommended the book for our community. She points to some of the many ways it can be used to explore key concepts in STS, such as actor-network theory and social-technical imaginaries. She also considers the relationship between lawlessness and entrepreneurship as a key theme in innovation studies and science policy.For more about the STS1Book programme:https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/about-sts/sts1book-programme FeaturingIntervieweeDr Michel Wahome, UCL Lecturer in Science and Technology Studieshttps://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/86440HostProfessor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biologyhttps://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain Music credits“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeodhttps://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5Ecossaise in E-flat by Kevin MacLeodhttps://filmmusic.io/song/3700-ecossaise-in-e-flat-woo-86- Podcast informationWeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast