Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194522
H. Cotter
Alexandra Ganser’s Crisis and Legitimacy in Atlantic American Narratives of Piracy, 1678–1865 sets out on an ambitious mission. The book enters an already crowded scholarly conversation – as noted in its introduction, ‘Pirates are everywhere today’ (1) – and attempts a new critical approach to their study. This novelty manifests itself both in the sophistication of Ganser’s arguments and the scope of texts she considers: the book comprises a plethora of genres, periods, methodologies and observations arranged chronologically and intended to demonstrate the inherent paradox of the pirate figure – a figure that exists in the liminal space between legitimate and illegitimate social orders. At the centre of Ganser’s thesis lies her contention that ‘pirate narratives articulate a Freudian return of the oppressed – of colonial violence and resistance in critical moments of North American history’ (4). Ganser uses these moments of crisis to conceptualize her readings of popular accounts of piracy. The book’s introduction lays the foundation of Ganser’s theoretical approach, which is firmly rooted in the sphere of cultural studies. Borrowing a term from literary theorist Edward Said, she employs a ‘contrapuntal’ lens through which to theorize her texts. This methodology allows her to foreground literary voices that have heretofore been drowned out by canonical writings – voices that often challenge received accounts of piracy. Chapter 2 considers the pirate against the backdrop of colonial legitimacy; the texts considered include the English translation of Alexander Exquemelin’s Buccaneers of America (1684) and the sermons of Cotton Mather. The third chapter turns to the Early American Republic and the Antebellum Period, and views its attendant pirate narratives through the lenses of freedom and oppression. Here, Ganser provides close readings of James Fenimore Cooper’s Red Rover (1827) and Maturin Murray Ballou’s Fanny Campbell (1844). In her fourth chapter – arguably her strongest – Ganser investigates theoretical links between piracy and slavery in the years before and during the American Civil War. Particularly engaging are her complementary analyses of M. M. Philip’s Emmanuel Appadocca (1854) and Herman Melville’s ‘Benito Cereno’ (1855–1856). The chapter closes with a fascinating discussion of piratical rhetoric during the Civil War itself: the images printed on Union envelopes provide the fodder for Ganser’s assessment. In its brief conclusion, the book proposes ways forward for the cultural study of the pirate. Book Reviews IJMH
{"title":"Book Review: Crisis and Legitimacy in Atlantic American Narratives of Piracy, 1678–1865 by Alexandra Ganser","authors":"H. Cotter","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194522","url":null,"abstract":"Alexandra Ganser’s Crisis and Legitimacy in Atlantic American Narratives of Piracy, 1678–1865 sets out on an ambitious mission. The book enters an already crowded scholarly conversation – as noted in its introduction, ‘Pirates are everywhere today’ (1) – and attempts a new critical approach to their study. This novelty manifests itself both in the sophistication of Ganser’s arguments and the scope of texts she considers: the book comprises a plethora of genres, periods, methodologies and observations arranged chronologically and intended to demonstrate the inherent paradox of the pirate figure – a figure that exists in the liminal space between legitimate and illegitimate social orders. At the centre of Ganser’s thesis lies her contention that ‘pirate narratives articulate a Freudian return of the oppressed – of colonial violence and resistance in critical moments of North American history’ (4). Ganser uses these moments of crisis to conceptualize her readings of popular accounts of piracy. The book’s introduction lays the foundation of Ganser’s theoretical approach, which is firmly rooted in the sphere of cultural studies. Borrowing a term from literary theorist Edward Said, she employs a ‘contrapuntal’ lens through which to theorize her texts. This methodology allows her to foreground literary voices that have heretofore been drowned out by canonical writings – voices that often challenge received accounts of piracy. Chapter 2 considers the pirate against the backdrop of colonial legitimacy; the texts considered include the English translation of Alexander Exquemelin’s Buccaneers of America (1684) and the sermons of Cotton Mather. The third chapter turns to the Early American Republic and the Antebellum Period, and views its attendant pirate narratives through the lenses of freedom and oppression. Here, Ganser provides close readings of James Fenimore Cooper’s Red Rover (1827) and Maturin Murray Ballou’s Fanny Campbell (1844). In her fourth chapter – arguably her strongest – Ganser investigates theoretical links between piracy and slavery in the years before and during the American Civil War. Particularly engaging are her complementary analyses of M. M. Philip’s Emmanuel Appadocca (1854) and Herman Melville’s ‘Benito Cereno’ (1855–1856). The chapter closes with a fascinating discussion of piratical rhetoric during the Civil War itself: the images printed on Union envelopes provide the fodder for Ganser’s assessment. In its brief conclusion, the book proposes ways forward for the cultural study of the pirate. Book Reviews IJMH","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48385699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194533
Shinsuke Satsuma
{"title":"Book Review: The War of Jenkins’ Ear: The Forgotten Struggle for North and South America, 1739–1742 by Robert Gaudi","authors":"Shinsuke Satsuma","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194533","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194533","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45866224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194531
Christopher Reinhart
{"title":"Book Review: Gunboats, Empire and the China Station: The Royal Navy in 1920s East Asia by Matthew Heaslip","authors":"Christopher Reinhart","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194531","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194531","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42170396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194527
Jayne Friend
{"title":"Book Review: Genesis of the Grand Fleet: The Admiralty, Germany, and the Home Fleet, 1896–1914 by Christopher M. Buckey","authors":"Jayne Friend","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194527","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42167445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231195203
Johan Heinsen
{"title":"Book Review: Unfree Workers: Insubordination and Resistance in Convict Australia, 1788–1860 by Hamish Maxwell-Stewart and Michael Quinlan","authors":"Johan Heinsen","doi":"10.1177/08438714231195203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231195203","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47111627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194528
G. Dreijer
{"title":"Book Review: Der Seewurf: Studien zur lex Rhodia de iactu by David Haubner","authors":"G. Dreijer","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194528","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48630472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194520
E. Odegard
odologies. Remarkably, for a book with a lot of numbers, it is eminently readable. My only fear is that the academic imprint and its monetization schemes will keep it from being read. Given that this might be a stumbling block towards a wide audience, I almost wished that the book were more technical. Of special interest to the readers of this journal will be the many ways that patterns of resistance were shaped by the maritime geographies within which convicts often found themselves situated. Chapter 5, on shipboard mutinies, is particularly interesting in this regard. Ships of transportation were not only floating prisons, but also hospitals – because the health of the workers was imperative – and factories – in the sense that they produced a commodity for a (labour) market. At sea and locked at the crossroads of these three entangled structures of confinement, dissent could turn mutinous, and even piratical. The book triumphs in the way that it convincingly relates such dramatic events – of which there were surprisingly many – to the more pedestrian forms of resistance, such as issuing threats, stopping work or simply running away. In this sense,Unfree Workers tells a story that fluidly combines the extraordinary and the everyday. For anyone who is even vaguely intrigued by either the subject or the methodology, this is a thrilling and inspiring work.
{"title":"Book Review: The Untold War at Sea: America’s Revolutionary Privateers by Kylie A. Hulbert","authors":"E. Odegard","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194520","url":null,"abstract":"odologies. Remarkably, for a book with a lot of numbers, it is eminently readable. My only fear is that the academic imprint and its monetization schemes will keep it from being read. Given that this might be a stumbling block towards a wide audience, I almost wished that the book were more technical. Of special interest to the readers of this journal will be the many ways that patterns of resistance were shaped by the maritime geographies within which convicts often found themselves situated. Chapter 5, on shipboard mutinies, is particularly interesting in this regard. Ships of transportation were not only floating prisons, but also hospitals – because the health of the workers was imperative – and factories – in the sense that they produced a commodity for a (labour) market. At sea and locked at the crossroads of these three entangled structures of confinement, dissent could turn mutinous, and even piratical. The book triumphs in the way that it convincingly relates such dramatic events – of which there were surprisingly many – to the more pedestrian forms of resistance, such as issuing threats, stopping work or simply running away. In this sense,Unfree Workers tells a story that fluidly combines the extraordinary and the everyday. For anyone who is even vaguely intrigued by either the subject or the methodology, this is a thrilling and inspiring work.","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46977780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194523
Alejandro García-Montón
effects of the lex Rhodia de iactu. For readers who are not acquainted with the history of general average, a section on the longevity of the lex Rhodia and its influence on contemporary general average would have been useful, as well as an overarching thesis and theoretical framework to guide the book. However, for those interested in either contemporary analysis of the lex Rhodia or its influence on the development of maritime risk management up to the present day, this volume will function as a standard reference book for years to come.
{"title":"Book Review: A Dissimulated Trade: Northern European Timber Merchants in Seville (1574–1598) by Germán Jiménez-Montes","authors":"Alejandro García-Montón","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194523","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194523","url":null,"abstract":"effects of the lex Rhodia de iactu. For readers who are not acquainted with the history of general average, a section on the longevity of the lex Rhodia and its influence on contemporary general average would have been useful, as well as an overarching thesis and theoretical framework to guide the book. However, for those interested in either contemporary analysis of the lex Rhodia or its influence on the development of maritime risk management up to the present day, this volume will function as a standard reference book for years to come.","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48798018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194524
Andrew D. Lambert
completely objective accounts, as they were often framed by and included alternative views that were beneficial to their authors. The questionable feasibility of the research is also evidenced by the somewhat lacking conclusions within the contributions, which mostly close only with preliminary notes or minor summaries, admitting that the research is still a work in progress or emphasizing the need for additional research. While each contribution is fascinating in its own right, the notion of the ‘long eighteenth century’ relies on the representation and reliability of its supporting material, which at present does seem like a hurdle yet to be overcome. This special issue attempts primarily to show the practical feasibility of realizing Van Leur’s vision of the ‘long eighteenth century’ through contemporary research, while indicating its ability to rectify enduring Eurocentric and teleological historical assumptions and achieve a more comprehensive understanding of our global history. Despite much promise, the contributions appear unable to definitively establish the wider framework due to the aforementioned difficulties. Remarkable promise does, however, exist, as Shimada clearly portrays the scholarly advancements that have been made. The researchers have utilized exciting new sources and research approaches, gradually uncovering a deeper understanding of premodern Asian history. This special issue can therefore best be viewed as a stepping stone. For those involved in maritime and global history, it constitutes a fascinating read with inspiring topics and approaches. Through further efforts like this, a prominent eighteenth century could very well become a reality.
{"title":"Book Review: Atlantic Piracy in the Early Nineteenth Century: The Shocking Story of the Pirates and the Survivors of the Morning Star by Sarah Craze","authors":"Andrew D. Lambert","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194524","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194524","url":null,"abstract":"completely objective accounts, as they were often framed by and included alternative views that were beneficial to their authors. The questionable feasibility of the research is also evidenced by the somewhat lacking conclusions within the contributions, which mostly close only with preliminary notes or minor summaries, admitting that the research is still a work in progress or emphasizing the need for additional research. While each contribution is fascinating in its own right, the notion of the ‘long eighteenth century’ relies on the representation and reliability of its supporting material, which at present does seem like a hurdle yet to be overcome. This special issue attempts primarily to show the practical feasibility of realizing Van Leur’s vision of the ‘long eighteenth century’ through contemporary research, while indicating its ability to rectify enduring Eurocentric and teleological historical assumptions and achieve a more comprehensive understanding of our global history. Despite much promise, the contributions appear unable to definitively establish the wider framework due to the aforementioned difficulties. Remarkable promise does, however, exist, as Shimada clearly portrays the scholarly advancements that have been made. The researchers have utilized exciting new sources and research approaches, gradually uncovering a deeper understanding of premodern Asian history. This special issue can therefore best be viewed as a stepping stone. For those involved in maritime and global history, it constitutes a fascinating read with inspiring topics and approaches. Through further efforts like this, a prominent eighteenth century could very well become a reality.","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48048466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/08438714231194530
Thidrek Vossen
Within the historiography of global maritime history, the eighteenth century as an axis of research has often been regarded as a controversial concept. First introduced by the Dutch historian J. C. Van Leur in 1934, the axis rejected the conventional, positivist, Eurocentric focus of contemporary research, which primarily focused on the neighbouring centuries while reducing the eighteenth century to insignificance. In opposition, Van Leur coined the term the ‘long eighteenth century’, aiming to emphasize inter-Asian agency while limiting the assumed European influence. Shimada Ryuto has brought together a group of researchers with the aim of revitalizing and proving the feasibility of this concept. As editor of Acta Asiatica, he supports Van Leur’s proposal by stating how the eighteenth century as an analytical frame has a unique ability to convey the vibrant, transformative and predominantly Asian nature of this century, stimulating a much-needed reconsideration of past historical assumptions. The main goal of this special issue of Acta Asiatica is therefore described by Shimada as building ‘a new temporal axis for research’ (iii–iv), utilizing practical contributions that are capable of establishing a theoretical framework. As a new perspective within historical research, the eighteenth century is regarded as the Asian linchpin between conventional premodern and modern centuries. Equipped with diverging topics and methodologies, the contributions outline each author’s own research project, tied together through the eighteenth-century narrative. First, Peng Hao disputes the Japanese Sakoku policy (national seclusion, 鎖国) through a detailed analysis of the eighteenth-century commercial relations between Chinese and Japanese merchants in Nagasaki. This policy was adjusted to meet and accommodate local socio-economic circumstances. Subsequently, Kato Shinsaku examines
在全球海事史的史学中,以18世纪为研究轴心经常被认为是一个有争议的概念。荷兰历史学家j.c. Van Leur在1934年首次提出了这一轴线,它拒绝了当代研究中传统的、实证主义的、以欧洲为中心的焦点,这种焦点主要集中在邻近的几个世纪,而把18世纪贬低为微不足道的。与此相反,Van Leur创造了“漫长的18世纪”一词,旨在强调亚洲间的代理,同时限制假定的欧洲影响。岛田龙人召集了一组研究人员,目的是振兴和证明这一概念的可行性。作为《亚洲学报》(Acta Asiatica)的编辑,他支持范leur的建议,指出18世纪作为一个分析框架,如何具有独特的能力来传达本世纪充满活力、变革和以亚洲为主的本质,从而激发人们对过去历史假设的重新思考。因此,岛田将这期《亚洲学报》特刊的主要目标描述为建立“一个新的研究时间轴”(iii-iv),利用能够建立理论框架的实际贡献。作为历史研究的一个新视角,18世纪被认为是亚洲传统前现代和现代之间的关键时期。这些著作采用了不同的主题和方法,概述了每个作者自己的研究项目,通过18世纪的叙述联系在一起。首先,彭浩通过对18世纪长崎中日商人商业关系的详细分析,对日本的闭关锁国政策提出了质疑。这项政策经过调整,以满足和适应当地的社会经济情况。随后,加藤新作检查
{"title":"Book Review: The ‘Long Eighteenth Century’ in Maritime Asian History by Shimada Ryūto, ed.","authors":"Thidrek Vossen","doi":"10.1177/08438714231194530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231194530","url":null,"abstract":"Within the historiography of global maritime history, the eighteenth century as an axis of research has often been regarded as a controversial concept. First introduced by the Dutch historian J. C. Van Leur in 1934, the axis rejected the conventional, positivist, Eurocentric focus of contemporary research, which primarily focused on the neighbouring centuries while reducing the eighteenth century to insignificance. In opposition, Van Leur coined the term the ‘long eighteenth century’, aiming to emphasize inter-Asian agency while limiting the assumed European influence. Shimada Ryuto has brought together a group of researchers with the aim of revitalizing and proving the feasibility of this concept. As editor of Acta Asiatica, he supports Van Leur’s proposal by stating how the eighteenth century as an analytical frame has a unique ability to convey the vibrant, transformative and predominantly Asian nature of this century, stimulating a much-needed reconsideration of past historical assumptions. The main goal of this special issue of Acta Asiatica is therefore described by Shimada as building ‘a new temporal axis for research’ (iii–iv), utilizing practical contributions that are capable of establishing a theoretical framework. As a new perspective within historical research, the eighteenth century is regarded as the Asian linchpin between conventional premodern and modern centuries. Equipped with diverging topics and methodologies, the contributions outline each author’s own research project, tied together through the eighteenth-century narrative. First, Peng Hao disputes the Japanese Sakoku policy (national seclusion, 鎖国) through a detailed analysis of the eighteenth-century commercial relations between Chinese and Japanese merchants in Nagasaki. This policy was adjusted to meet and accommodate local socio-economic circumstances. Subsequently, Kato Shinsaku examines","PeriodicalId":43870,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Maritime History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47078647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}