Gendering Ocean Management for Sustainable Ocean Care in Ghana

Georgina Yaa Oduro (), Rosabelle Boswell (), David Wilson and John Windie Ansah
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Georgina Yaa Oduro: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast Ghana, Cape Coast 3321, Ghana
Rosabelle Boswell: Coastal and Marine Research Institute, Ocean Sciences Campus, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth 6001, South Africa
David Wilson: Department of Humanities, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
John Windie Ansah: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast Ghana, Cape Coast 3321, Ghana

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: UNESCO presently offers a universal regime and policy environment for the identification and management of natural and cultural heritages. However, heritage does not merely signify cultural diversity; it can also facilitate greater equity and equality. The research problem addressed in this article is that in Ghana, the national government perceives and treats the small-scale fishing (SSF) sector as a masculine space and endeavour, ignoring the gendered aspects of this environment, of SSF practice and ocean care. In the article, it is hypothesized that if the SSF sector is treated as a socially differentiated space, and if the concern of ocean care is prioritized as a key imperative in Ghanaian ocean management, it is likely that a more inclusive and sustainable ocean management process and SSF sector will emerge in Ghana. Mindful of the socially differentiated nature of the SSF sector in Ghana, the goal of the research presented in this article is to use mixed qualitative research methods (participant-observation and semi-structured interviews) to investigate gendered knowledge forms and gendered practices in ocean care in the central region of Ghana. A key finding of the research is that gendered ritual practices, including canoe building and use in Ghana, are critical to long-term, sustainable, and inclusive ocean management in the country. Recognition of the gendered dimensions of ocean management in Ghana may also result in more inclusive ocean governance policies and nature management policies in Ghana in general. The conclusion of the article is that ocean governance in Ghana should consider and mainstream a gendered perspective of the SSF sector, to advance transformative, sustainable, and inclusive ocean care. The article draws on theories of intersectionality, African indigenous feminist thought, and critical heritage studies to analyse the data gathered, to support the discussion, and to propose the way forward for the national government.

Keywords: cultural heritage; Ghana; ocean governance; gender and small-scale fishers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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