Thesis Defense: Eyemouth, Scotland & Alcanar, Catalunya: An Ethnographic Look at Independence Movements and Coastal Borders

In the coming weeks, UW master's students will defend their theses. The subjects are varied and the students are from both master's programs, Coastal Marine Management and Coastal Communities and Regional Development. The defenses are accessible to everyone through zoom links but they are also open to the public, at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður.

Wednesday at 13:30 April 17th

Student: Brandon Piel
Thesis title: Eyemouth, Scotland & Alcanar, Catalunya: An Ethnographic Look at Independence Movements
and Coastal Borders
Program: Coastal Communities and Regional Development
Abstract:Democratic independence movements are a growing phenomenon in the world today, and with the potential
for new countries comes the potential for new borders. Eyemouth, Scotland and Alcanar, Catalunya were selected
as the case study locations for this research due to the prominence of their respective independence movements
and their shared geopolitical circumstance as localities on the coastal border of their independence movements’ territorial claims. Coastal border communities allow the unique opportunity to consider both maritime and land border questions on a local level. Ethnographic field work, built on the principles of dirt research and landscape theory, is the selected methodology for this study, with informal conversations, landscape readings, and statements as the supporting methodological tools. The local priorities identified and discussed for Eyemouth are groceries, fishing, law enforcement, healthcare, cross- border employment, and tourism. The local priorities identified and discussed for Alcanar are shopping, services, citrus agriculture, fishing and fish restaurants, and employment. Finally, the case studies are compared and contrasted as well as considered within the contexts of the existing literature, predominate national narratives, and the European Union.
Zoom link: https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/68249575024

Defense schedule for this defense season: