Atlantic Culture In The Pacific World: Maritime Whaling Voyages, 1827-1848

Abstract

Between 1827 and 1850, whale ships from Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Saint John (New Brunswick) joined the hunt for whales in the Pacific Ocean. Using the extant records from these ships, this thesis explores the boundaries of the Atlantic and Pacific world paradigms. While cruising the oceans of the world, Maritime whalemen continued to be a part of, and to be influenced by, relationships and social structures at home. The terminology and experiences of these men indicate a complex understanding of the world’s ocean and their place within it. These records also indicate that both experience and societal preconceptions influenced how Maritime whalemen interacted with new peoples and places. This thesis asserts the utility of oceanic frameworks while suggesting that only a global oceanic system can fully elucidate the realities of the nineteenth century world.