HIST 374 The Whaling Women of Nantucket

3 Credit(s)

This course introduces the lives and the worlds of women living on Nantucket from the beginning of whaling in the seventeenth century. Through both primary and secondary sources, the course examines the lives of the wives of whalers, indigenous Wampanoag women, and African American women, all of who lived in close proximity on Nantucket. These women, living far from urban centers, were responsible for their homes and families alone while their husbands were away, often for month or years at a time. The course will look at their daily lives, their communities, and their ideas about womanhood in circumstances far different from their mainland sisters.

Distribution Area: Humanities