![Nelson Turgo](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/5719?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
For more than a decade, I have been looking at the many facets of seafaring life, from issues related to how time is structured at sea to the shifting expressions and articulations of masculinity amongst Filipino seafarers. I am most interested in how sociology can illuminate aspects related to health and safety at sea. For most of the research projects that I do, I engage with seafarers in ports, training centres and onboard merchant vessels. For the latter, I sail with them for at least a month on average, observing how life is conducted at sea, communing with them during meals times and shore leaves. In between living the (academic) life at high seas, that is, doing interviews and participant observation, rough weather could send the ship pitching and rolling, giving me a first hand experience at how difficult and challenging life at sea is for seafarers! As I commit myself to contributing to a better understanding of how important and vital the work of seafarers for all of us, when I am doing research on board ships, I really don't mind the occasional headaches and butterflies in my stomach, full speed ahead!
Publication
2025
- Cadge, W. , Turgo, N. and Sampson, H. 2025. The changing shape of support in the work of port chaplains. International Journal of Maritime History 37 (3), pp.540-557. (10.1177/08438714251355687)
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. Seafarers’ access to health care while working on cruise and cargo vessels. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. Seafarers’ health and access to healthcare in the cruise and cargo sectors in 2024: An overview. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. The health and wellbeing of Seafarers working on cargo ships in 2023-2024. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. The health of Seafarers working on cruise and cargo vessels 2023-2024. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Turgo, N. and Sampson, H. 2025. Modernity and tradition at sea: Filipino seafarers and their superstitious beliefs. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 54 (2), pp.252-277. (10.1177/08912416241308571)
2024
- Sampson, H. et al. 2024. Chaplaincy and seafarers: Faith at work. Oxford University Press. (10.1093/9780198913290.001.0001)
- Turgo, N. 2024. Tales of the sea: Seafarers' sense of place in the management of socialities and safety culture at sea. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 33 (1), pp.142-161. (10.1177/01171968241245626)
- Turgo, N. 2024. The ship as home: homemaking practices amongst Filipino seafarers at sea. Mobilities 19 (2), pp.245-259. (10.1080/17450101.2023.2257396)
2023
- Cadge, W. et al., 2023. The work of port chaplains: views from seafarers served. Journal of Contemporary Religion 38 (2), pp.325-342. (10.1080/13537903.2021.1986311)
- Gilliat-Ray, S. et al. 2023. ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’: the risks and rewards of port chaplaincy. Journal of Beliefs and Values 44 (2), pp.173-187. (10.1080/13617672.2022.2039982)
- Sampson, H. et al. 2023. ‘Overstretched and under-resourced’: the corporate neglect of port welfare services for seafarers. Maritime Policy and Management 50 (7), pp.876-888. (10.1080/03088839.2022.2084788)
- Turgo, N. et al. 2023. Relying on the kindness of strangers: Welfare-providers to seafarers and the symbolic construction of community. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 52 (2), pp.192-217. (10.1177/08912416221092001)
2021
- Sampson, H. et al. 2021. Recommended standard of accommodation for seafarers working on board cargo vessels. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2021. Religion in multi-ethnic contexts: a multidisciplinary case study of global seafaring. Project Report.Cardiff, UK: Cardiff University.
- Smith, G. et al., 2021. A working theology: an evaluation of the popular beliefs of Roman Catholic Filipino seafarers. Practical Theology 14 (6), pp.506-517. (10.1080/1756073X.2021.1951945)
- Turgo, N. 2021. Manning the waves: masculinity shift amongst Filipino seafarers in the age of precarity. Gender, Work and Organization 28 (4), pp.1562-1578. (10.1111/gwao.12710)
- Turgo, N. and Sampson, H. 2021. “What is immediate and obvious feels real”: National identity and emotional vulnerabilities in the field. Methodological Innovations 14 (10.1177/20597991211035526)
2020
- Sampson, H. et al. 2020. Harmony of the seas?: Work, faith, and religious difference among multinational migrant workers on board cargo ships. Ethnic and Racial Studies 43 (16), pp.287-305. (10.1080/01419870.2020.1776362)
- Turgo, N. 2020. A taste of the sea: artisanal fishing communities in the Philippines. In: Gekara, V. O. and Sampson, H. eds. The World of the Seafarer: Qualitative Accounts of Working in the Global Shipping Industry. Vol. 9, WMU Studies in Maritime Affairs Springer. , pp.9-22. (10.1007/978-3-030-49825-2_2)
- Turgo, N. 2020. Temporalities at sea: Fast time and slow time onboard ocean-going merchant vessels. Ethnography (10.1177/1466138120923371)
2019
- Sampson, H. et al. 2019. 'Between a rock and a hard place': the implications of lost autonomy and trust for professionals at sea. Work, Employment and Society 33 (4), pp.648-665. (10.1177/0950017018821284)
2018
- Acejo, I. et al. 2018. The causes of maritime accidents in the period 2002-2016.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2018. The working and living conditions of seafarers on cargo ships in the period 2011-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC).
- Sampson, H. and Turgo, N. 2018. Finding the way in to a global industry! The usefulness of elite events to social science researchers. Journal of Organizational Ethnography 7 (1), pp.2-15. (10.1108/JOE-04-2017-0022)
- Turgo, N. 2018. Sina Gat Uban at Horacio dela Costa sa Mauban: Mga Paghahanap sa Tanawin Tungo sa Pagbubuo ng Lokal na Kasaysayan at Pambayang Identdad. Malay 30 (1), pp.13-27.
2017
- Sampson, H. et al. 2017. Changes in seafarers' health 2011-16: Recommendations from the summary report. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2017. Changes in seafarers' health 2011-2016: A summary report. Project Report.Cardiff: Sefarers International Research Centre.
- Turgo, N. 2017. "Amoy isda": the middle class life of market fishmongers. AghamTao 25 (2), pp.201-230. 1.
- Turgo, N. 2017. ‘Doon po sa Mauba’y, ang mga bangka’y, nagkakarera’y’: The politics of the production of Maubanog Festival. Philippine Social Sciences Review 69 (1) 5985.
2016
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The relationships between seafarers and shore-side personnel: an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The relationships between seafarers and shore-side personnel: Recommendations from an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The use of mandatory equipment on board cargo ships: an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The use of mandatory equipment on board cargo ships: Recommendations from an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Turgo, N. 2016. Getting back into place: remembrances and re-membering of Maubanin Living in the US Sapagkat ang Paglisan ay Lagi-lagi ring Pagbalik: Ang Pagpopook at Paglikha ng Gunita ng mga Maubanin sa Amerika. Malay 29 (1), pp.1-17.
- Turgo, N. 2016. Knowledge sits in places: The vernacularity and emplacement of fish markets in Southern Philippines. Mabini Review 5 , pp.66-88.
- Turgo, N. 2016. 'Laway lang ang kapital' (Saliva as capital): Social embeddedness of market practices in brokerage houses in the Philippines. Journal of Rural Studies 43 , pp.83-93. (10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.11.001)
- Turgo, N. 2016. Mga Kumbati ng Pagbalikwas: Mga Salimbayang Naratibo ng Pagtanggi sa Planta ng Koryente sa Mauban, 1996–2004. Diwa E-journal 4
- Turgo, N. 2016. The kinship of everyday need: relatedness and survival in a Philippine fishing community. South East Asia Research 24 (1), pp.61-75. (10.5367/sear.2016.0291)
2015
- Turgo, N. 2015. Fishermen, fishmongers, and the sea: Economic restructuring and gender dynamics in a Philippine fishing community. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints 63 (3), pp.365-391. (10.1353/phs.2015.0035)
- Turgo, N. 2015. Neglect and poverty in the small-scale fishing communities of the Philippines. In: Couper, A. , Smith, H. and Ciceri, B. eds. Fishers and Plunderers: Theft, Slavery and Violence at Sea. London: Pluto Press. , pp.61-65.
2014
- Turgo, N. 2014. Identity: a contentious notion. Sabangan , pp.31-33.
- Turgo, N. 2014. Kumbatihan ng lunan: Talabtaban ng pag-iral sa Calvario ng Mauban (Discourses in/on space: Contestation of presence(s) in Calvario of Mauban). Daluyan: A Journal in Filipino 20 (0), pp.11-40.
- Turgo, N. 2014. Redefining and experiencing masculinity in a Philippine fishing community. Philippine Sociological Review 62 (1), pp.7-38.
2013
- Tang, L. et al., 2013. Behind the headlines? An analysis of accident investigation reports. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.1-24.
- Turgo, N. 2013. 'Here, we don't just trade goods, we also "sell" people's lives': sari-sari stores as nodes of partial surveillance in a Philippine fishing community. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 34 (3), pp.373-389. (10.1111/sjtg.12033)
- Turgo, N. et al. 2013. The use of mandatory equipment on-board. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.54-72.
- Turgo, N. et al. 2013. Understanding the relationships between ship and shore personnel - a new study. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.38-53.
2012
- Sampson, H. et al. 2012. Seafarer accommodation on contemporary cargo ships. Project Report.Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Turgo, N. 2012. A 'balikbayan' in the field: scaling and (re)producing insider's identity in a Philippine fishing community. Qualitative Research 12 (6), pp.666-685. (10.1177/1468794111433006)
- Turgo, N. 2012. 'Bugabug ang dagat' (rough seas): experiencing Foucault's heterotopia in fish trading houses. Social Science Diliman 8 (1), pp.31-62.
- Turgo, N. 2012. 'I know him so well': contracting/tual 'insiders', and maintaining access and rapport in a Philippine fishing community. Sociological Research Online 17 (3) 18. (10.5153/sro.2660)
2011
- Acejo, I. et al. 2011. The health and self-medication practices of seafarers. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2011Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2011). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.89-107.
- Wadsworth, E. et al. 2011. Learning legacy: lessons learned from the London 2012 Games construction project. Project Report.London, UK: Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.
2010
- Turgo, N. 2010. David Silverman: Doing qualitative research [book review]. Qualitative Research 10 (3), pp.386-387. (10.1177/14687941100100030605)
- Turgo, N. N. 2010. Bugabug and Dagat: The local life of a fishing community in the Philippines. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Articles
- Cadge, W. et al., 2023. The work of port chaplains: views from seafarers served. Journal of Contemporary Religion 38 (2), pp.325-342. (10.1080/13537903.2021.1986311)
- Cadge, W. , Turgo, N. and Sampson, H. 2025. The changing shape of support in the work of port chaplains. International Journal of Maritime History 37 (3), pp.540-557. (10.1177/08438714251355687)
- Gilliat-Ray, S. et al. 2023. ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’: the risks and rewards of port chaplaincy. Journal of Beliefs and Values 44 (2), pp.173-187. (10.1080/13617672.2022.2039982)
- Sampson, H. and Turgo, N. 2018. Finding the way in to a global industry! The usefulness of elite events to social science researchers. Journal of Organizational Ethnography 7 (1), pp.2-15. (10.1108/JOE-04-2017-0022)
- Sampson, H. et al. 2019. 'Between a rock and a hard place': the implications of lost autonomy and trust for professionals at sea. Work, Employment and Society 33 (4), pp.648-665. (10.1177/0950017018821284)
- Sampson, H. et al. 2020. Harmony of the seas?: Work, faith, and religious difference among multinational migrant workers on board cargo ships. Ethnic and Racial Studies 43 (16), pp.287-305. (10.1080/01419870.2020.1776362)
- Sampson, H. et al. 2023. ‘Overstretched and under-resourced’: the corporate neglect of port welfare services for seafarers. Maritime Policy and Management 50 (7), pp.876-888. (10.1080/03088839.2022.2084788)
- Smith, G. et al., 2021. A working theology: an evaluation of the popular beliefs of Roman Catholic Filipino seafarers. Practical Theology 14 (6), pp.506-517. (10.1080/1756073X.2021.1951945)
- Turgo, N. 2012. A 'balikbayan' in the field: scaling and (re)producing insider's identity in a Philippine fishing community. Qualitative Research 12 (6), pp.666-685. (10.1177/1468794111433006)
- Turgo, N. 2017. "Amoy isda": the middle class life of market fishmongers. AghamTao 25 (2), pp.201-230. 1.
- Turgo, N. 2012. 'Bugabug ang dagat' (rough seas): experiencing Foucault's heterotopia in fish trading houses. Social Science Diliman 8 (1), pp.31-62.
- Turgo, N. 2010. David Silverman: Doing qualitative research [book review]. Qualitative Research 10 (3), pp.386-387. (10.1177/14687941100100030605)
- Turgo, N. 2017. ‘Doon po sa Mauba’y, ang mga bangka’y, nagkakarera’y’: The politics of the production of Maubanog Festival. Philippine Social Sciences Review 69 (1) 5985.
- Turgo, N. 2015. Fishermen, fishmongers, and the sea: Economic restructuring and gender dynamics in a Philippine fishing community. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints 63 (3), pp.365-391. (10.1353/phs.2015.0035)
- Turgo, N. 2016. Getting back into place: remembrances and re-membering of Maubanin Living in the US Sapagkat ang Paglisan ay Lagi-lagi ring Pagbalik: Ang Pagpopook at Paglikha ng Gunita ng mga Maubanin sa Amerika. Malay 29 (1), pp.1-17.
- Turgo, N. 2013. 'Here, we don't just trade goods, we also "sell" people's lives': sari-sari stores as nodes of partial surveillance in a Philippine fishing community. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 34 (3), pp.373-389. (10.1111/sjtg.12033)
- Turgo, N. 2012. 'I know him so well': contracting/tual 'insiders', and maintaining access and rapport in a Philippine fishing community. Sociological Research Online 17 (3) 18. (10.5153/sro.2660)
- Turgo, N. 2014. Identity: a contentious notion. Sabangan , pp.31-33.
- Turgo, N. 2016. Knowledge sits in places: The vernacularity and emplacement of fish markets in Southern Philippines. Mabini Review 5 , pp.66-88.
- Turgo, N. 2014. Kumbatihan ng lunan: Talabtaban ng pag-iral sa Calvario ng Mauban (Discourses in/on space: Contestation of presence(s) in Calvario of Mauban). Daluyan: A Journal in Filipino 20 (0), pp.11-40.
- Turgo, N. 2016. 'Laway lang ang kapital' (Saliva as capital): Social embeddedness of market practices in brokerage houses in the Philippines. Journal of Rural Studies 43 , pp.83-93. (10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.11.001)
- Turgo, N. 2021. Manning the waves: masculinity shift amongst Filipino seafarers in the age of precarity. Gender, Work and Organization 28 (4), pp.1562-1578. (10.1111/gwao.12710)
- Turgo, N. 2016. Mga Kumbati ng Pagbalikwas: Mga Salimbayang Naratibo ng Pagtanggi sa Planta ng Koryente sa Mauban, 1996–2004. Diwa E-journal 4
- Turgo, N. 2014. Redefining and experiencing masculinity in a Philippine fishing community. Philippine Sociological Review 62 (1), pp.7-38.
- Turgo, N. 2018. Sina Gat Uban at Horacio dela Costa sa Mauban: Mga Paghahanap sa Tanawin Tungo sa Pagbubuo ng Lokal na Kasaysayan at Pambayang Identdad. Malay 30 (1), pp.13-27.
- Turgo, N. 2024. Tales of the sea: Seafarers' sense of place in the management of socialities and safety culture at sea. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 33 (1), pp.142-161. (10.1177/01171968241245626)
- Turgo, N. 2020. Temporalities at sea: Fast time and slow time onboard ocean-going merchant vessels. Ethnography (10.1177/1466138120923371)
- Turgo, N. 2016. The kinship of everyday need: relatedness and survival in a Philippine fishing community. South East Asia Research 24 (1), pp.61-75. (10.5367/sear.2016.0291)
- Turgo, N. 2024. The ship as home: homemaking practices amongst Filipino seafarers at sea. Mobilities 19 (2), pp.245-259. (10.1080/17450101.2023.2257396)
- Turgo, N. et al. 2023. Relying on the kindness of strangers: Welfare-providers to seafarers and the symbolic construction of community. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 52 (2), pp.192-217. (10.1177/08912416221092001)
- Turgo, N. and Sampson, H. 2025. Modernity and tradition at sea: Filipino seafarers and their superstitious beliefs. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 54 (2), pp.252-277. (10.1177/08912416241308571)
- Turgo, N. and Sampson, H. 2021. “What is immediate and obvious feels real”: National identity and emotional vulnerabilities in the field. Methodological Innovations 14 (10.1177/20597991211035526)
Book sections
- Turgo, N. 2020. A taste of the sea: artisanal fishing communities in the Philippines. In: Gekara, V. O. and Sampson, H. eds. The World of the Seafarer: Qualitative Accounts of Working in the Global Shipping Industry. Vol. 9, WMU Studies in Maritime Affairs Springer. , pp.9-22. (10.1007/978-3-030-49825-2_2)
- Turgo, N. 2015. Neglect and poverty in the small-scale fishing communities of the Philippines. In: Couper, A. , Smith, H. and Ciceri, B. eds. Fishers and Plunderers: Theft, Slavery and Violence at Sea. London: Pluto Press. , pp.61-65.
Books
- Sampson, H. et al. 2024. Chaplaincy and seafarers: Faith at work. Oxford University Press. (10.1093/9780198913290.001.0001)
Conferences
- Acejo, I. et al. 2011. The health and self-medication practices of seafarers. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2011Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2011). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.89-107.
- Tang, L. et al., 2013. Behind the headlines? An analysis of accident investigation reports. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.1-24.
- Turgo, N. et al. 2013. The use of mandatory equipment on-board. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.54-72.
- Turgo, N. et al. 2013. Understanding the relationships between ship and shore personnel - a new study. Presented at: Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium 2013Seafarers International Research Centre Symposium Proceedings (2013). Cardiff, UK: Seafarers International Research Centre. , pp.38-53.
Monographs
- Acejo, I. et al. 2018. The causes of maritime accidents in the period 2002-2016.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. Seafarers’ access to health care while working on cruise and cargo vessels. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. Seafarers’ health and access to healthcare in the cruise and cargo sectors in 2024: An overview. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. The health and wellbeing of Seafarers working on cargo ships in 2023-2024. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2025. The health of Seafarers working on cruise and cargo vessels 2023-2024. Project Report.Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The relationships between seafarers and shore-side personnel: an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The relationships between seafarers and shore-side personnel: Recommendations from an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The use of mandatory equipment on board cargo ships: an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2016. The use of mandatory equipment on board cargo ships: Recommendations from an outline report based on research undertaken in the period 2012-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2017. Changes in seafarers' health 2011-16: Recommendations from the summary report. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2017. Changes in seafarers' health 2011-2016: A summary report. Project Report.Cardiff: Sefarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2021. Recommended standard of accommodation for seafarers working on board cargo vessels. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2012. Seafarer accommodation on contemporary cargo ships. Project Report.Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Sampson, H. et al. 2018. The working and living conditions of seafarers on cargo ships in the period 2011-2016. Project Report.Cardiff: Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC).
- Sampson, H. et al. 2021. Religion in multi-ethnic contexts: a multidisciplinary case study of global seafaring. Project Report.Cardiff, UK: Cardiff University.
- Wadsworth, E. et al. 2011. Learning legacy: lessons learned from the London 2012 Games construction project. Project Report.London, UK: Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.
Thesis
- Turgo, N. N. 2010. Bugabug and Dagat: The local life of a fishing community in the Philippines. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
Nelson's research interests are the following: geographies of globalization; fishing communities, marginalized and economically-deprived communities; biography and locality; the maritime industry; power, gender and economic relations. He is also interested in the sociology of culture; the global-local nexus; the production of space and spatialization of everyday life; the interface between anthropology and literature; autoethnography, creative writing; and local histories.
Biography
Nelson attended local schools in the Philippines where he graduated valedictorian both in grade and high school. He finished his undergraduate degree in English Studies (Creative Writing) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman (cum laude) where he also obtained his master's degree in Philippine Studies (Literature and Anthropology). In 2006, he won a SIRC-Nippon fellowship to do a PhD in Social Sciences (Sociology) at Cardiff University, graduating in 2010. His thesis "Bugabug ang Dagat: The Local Life of a Fishing Community in the Philippines" was awarded a Category 1 Pass. He is also an accomplished bi-lingual fictionist having been published in some literary magazines and journals in the Philippines. He grew up in a small fishing community.
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Qualitative research methods
- Philippine Studies
- Maritime Sociology
- ethnography
