Kristel

Ruutma

The IHME project illuminates the shared history of humans and the underwater environment by investigating how the Baltic Sea seabed and its biological communities have been utilized, modified, and interpreted in Finland, Sweden, and Estonia from the eighteenth century to the 1970s. Within the project, I am responsible for collecting and analysing Estonian-language digitized archival materials related to eelgrass (Zostera marina), bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus), and stone fishing.

My PhD research examines the stigma associated with encounters with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) among aviation professionals. I explore the social function of the belief system that sustains this stigma and analyse its effects on reporting such phenomena, professional interaction, and the construction of knowledge.