Diving In

In this introductory chapter, I outline the objective of the book, namely, to open up and make the underwater world visible and knowable to people on land. To do this I use underwater ethnography and employ the concept of aquabiopolitics to highlight the past and current harmful relationship between humans, waste, pollution, and marine life wherein humans govern beings in water to enhance life for humans on land. Both terms are elaborated on in the chapter. Furthermore, the book’s main characters are introduced; marine scientists who map ongoing pollution of water and sediments, and trash scuba divers who collect waste from below water, bring it up, and make installations from it to push the public and authorities into action. As the story is centered on Stockholm, Sweden, the chapter further provides a background to Stockholm’s waste management system, as well as to environmental developments in the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren, two bodies of water that meet and mix in and around the capital.