Struggles Over the Sea: Resistance and Blue Justice in Türkiye

Abstract

This article examines the emerging relevance of blue justice as an analytical lens for understanding socio-ecological conflicts in Türkiye’s marine environments. Although the concept remains largely absent from the country’s formal policy and academic debates, struggles across the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, and Black Sea demonstrate how questions of distribution, recognition, and participation are embedded in everyday marine practices. Methodologically, the study combines qualitative documents analysis of policy and secondary sources with a region-based case study approach. The findings reveal that the contraction of small-scale fishing grounds, societal reactions to ecological collapse in the Marmara Sea, and contested energy projects in the Black Sea constitute distinct yet interconnected domains of marine injustice. The article highlights both the contradictions inherent in Türkiye’s alignment with blue economy agendas and the potential for blue justice to emerge as a critical framework for advancing more equitable and sustainable marine governance