{"id":1717,"date":"2020-03-06T10:34:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T10:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/doing\/?p=1717"},"modified":"2020-03-06T10:34:24","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T10:34:24","slug":"identity-and-gender-within-19th-c-whaling-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/doing\/2020\/03\/06\/identity-and-gender-within-19th-c-whaling-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Identity and Gender Within 19th C. Whaling Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Though whaling has existed since ancient and prehistoric times, between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries it experienced its rise, height, and decline as a commercial industry. As a facilitator of transnational maritime networks<\/strong>, the introduction of new whaling technology in the late nineteenth century altered hunting methods that led to the modernisation of whaling, eventually reducing the reliance that national whaling companies had previously had on Inuit and other indigenous communities.[1]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For my project I propose a closer in-depth exploration\nof the people within the industry \u2013 the whalers themselves, their wives and\nfamilies, others who played a role in making the industry function \u2013 and the concept\nof identity<\/strong> that was formed and associated with them. Current scholarship\non the history of whaling is overwhelmingly economic in focus, and while I\nagree that the history of whaling would be incomplete without these numbers, I\nbelieve that it is a disservice to the whalers to restrict their legacy to one\nof economic statistics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utilising Mary Louise Pratt\u2019s concept of \u2018contact\nzones\u2019<\/strong>, \u201csocial spaces where disparate cultures meet, clash, and grapple\nwith each other, often in highly asymmetrical relations of domination and\nsubordination,\u201d I intend to argue that a transnational history of whaling does\n<\/em>exist, and that by exploring the concept of identity and gender roles\nwithin the industry in the nineteenth century, we gain a better understanding\nof the significance of the industry\u2019s connection to global ideologies<\/strong>\nsuch as imperialism<\/strong> and colonisation<\/strong>.[2]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I propose the investigation into three contact zones: Nantucket,\nGreenland, and the South Pacific islands.[3]<\/a> Specifically, I will analyse\nthe relationships between Nantucket whalers and Native Americans, whalers in\nGreenland and Inuit communities, and whalers in the South Pacific and Pacific island\ncommunities. Deriving off information gathered from my historiographical essay,\nI hypothesise that in each of these locations unique relationships between the\nwhalers and the local populations manifested themselves, resulting in the generation\nof cross-cultural melting pots <\/strong>where transnational identities<\/strong>\nwere created. Further examination into how gender<\/strong> influenced these\nrelationships will assist in filling the identity\/gender-gap<\/strong> that exists\nin the historiography of whaling, and will lead to a better understanding of\nthe conception of the whaler as a unique figure, and the role of women in the enforcing\nor challenging these conceptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main overarching questions I would like to answer\nwith this project are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n