Broadening and Deepening the Indian Ocean Studies

This edition of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region (JIOR) bears testimony to the ongoing broadening and deepening of Indian Ocean studies by critically informed interventions on inter-disciplinary intersections. The scholarly literature on indigenous peoples and their role in marine and fisheries development, coastal ecosystems, marine governance, and management has seen a welcome surge (Loch & Riechers, 2021; Parsons, Taylor, & Crease, 2021). This body of research emphasizes the importance of indigenous traditions and knowledge systems in ecologically sustainable, culturally sensitive, and socially inclusive development. It also pluralizes the ontology of Indian Ocean Region research and scholarship, granting greater salience to the subliminal ‘small scale’ at which coastal communities and local stakeholders operate, while exposing the limitations of the state-centric approach to the governance and management of fast multiplying human uses –and abuses– of maritime space and resources. Such perspectives from below relentlessly interrogate politics behind the production of geographical knowledge of maritime security and sustainability. They invite both academic and policy attention to the profound and far-reaching ethical and geopolitical implications of privileging a particular space-place, scale, and knowledge-power claim in universalizing narratives of Blue Economy and ocean governance at the cost of acknowledging the diverse worldviews, perspectives and priorities of different stakeholders. The current edition of JIOR opens with a thought-provoking article by Rosabelle Boswell and Jessica Leigh Thornton, which highlights the importance of knowledge pluralism in ocean governance and makes a persuasive case for including the perspectives, experiences, and world views of indigenous Khoisan people into the mainstream Blue Economy narratives in South Africa. Their key argument is that a holistic, integrated, and inclusive pursuit of Blue Economy demands and deserves a critical rethinking of the place of First Peoples and indigenous knowledge systems not only by South Africa but also in global ocean management regimes. We look forward to receiving more such submissions to JIOR, focusing on case studies from diverse sub-regions of the Indian Ocean region. The article by Somen Banerjee focuses on the emergence of the ‘Horn of Africa as a ‘Strategic Pivot of the Indian Ocean Region’ and builds a strong case for India to ‘repackage’ its vision and policy under the rubric of ‘Security and Growth for All’ (SAGAR) in pursuit of realising its ‘grand strategic’ vision of being a net security provider in the region. Revisiting its orientation towards the region also becomes a necessity considering recent developments and realignments in the Indo-Pacific theatre, especially the Aukus