LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA:“While I was studying English literature, I was also auditing classes in quantum physics. When I develop a theory, it has to have a grounding. I have to have evidence,” stated Dr. Serpil Oppermann, co-editor of The Bloomsbury Handbook to the Blue Humanities
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on March 5, 2024 featured Dr. Serpil Oppermann of Cappodocia University in Istanbul, Turkey. She is one of four co-editors of The Bloomsbury Handbook to the Blue Humanities which will be published in 2025. Her work explores the intersecting perspectives of natural sciences and environmental humanities.
Water protests human betrayal
“It is a compelling story the way Serpil Opperman has combined her passion for literature studies with quantum physics. That is an irresistible hook for any audience, especially our Waterbucket eNews readers,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“Her passion and vision for use of storytelling as a means to an end shine through in conversation. Serpil is an integrator. She sees the system as a whole. She is able to bridge the humanities and science. People who can do that with credibility and confidence are few in number.”
“I was curious as to how Serpil had heard about Michael Blackstock and Blue Ecology. As an academic I knew about his 2009 paper, Serpil replied. You have to be informed. You do not rely on a Google search, she added.”
How Serpil Opperman chanced upon Blue Ecology in the scholarly literature
“In his peer-reviewed paper for the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), Michael Blackstock laid out the case for an attitude change and culture-shift related to water. The IAHS invited Michael to share his Blue Ecology message at their symposium on the island of Capri because of his work on a UNESCO Expert Panel,” continued Kim Stephens.
“At the Capri symposium, the individuals most receptive to Blue Ecology were the hydrology elders. Those with experience understand the limitations and assumptions inherent in how scientific knowledge is applied. They are not dazzled by a slick software interface.”
“Serpil Oppermann and Michael Blackstock are champions for approaches that benefit from interweaving Western science with other ways of knowing. Their whole-system perspectives transcend a purely interdisciplinary approach,” concluded Kim Stephens.
TO LEARN MORE:
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