Seafaring Women Aboard and Ashore
Three Day Academic Workshop
Maritime History Archive, St. John’s NL
April 29 - May 1, 2026
Archive:
Call for Papers
In December 2025, SWAAN opened the call for papers for the first of two workshops on women in the maritime world and seafaring industry. This first workshop focused on academic research incorporating women’s historical and modern roles as mariners, economic agents, and critical career partners——as workers.
SWAAN Workshop Program
The conference was held at the Maritime History Archive at Memorial University, a long-standing repository of British seafaring labour records and of Newfoundland and Labrador merchant and fisheries papers.
This was a hybrid conference.
Photo Gallery
Dr. Julia Laite (Birkbeck University of London) giving her keynote address to workshop attendees on April 29th, at the MHA reading room.
Drs. Valerie Burton (MUN) and Meaghan Walker (Ind.) presenting their paper, April 29.
Alexandre Yingst (University of Iceland) presenting her doctoral research on April 30.
Dr. Seth Stein LeJacq (CUNY Hunter College) presenting online from New York on April 30.
Hannah Gibbons (University of Exeter) on May 1.
Margaret J. Dixon (Ind.) presenting her research on May 1.
Lisa Wojahn (University of Exeter) presenting her doctoral research, May 1.
Dr. Kristof Loockx (University of Antwerp) giving the final talk on May 1.
The crew wanders over Cape Spear.
Lisa and Hannah at Cape Spear.
Briefly at Signal Hill: Julia L., Alexandre, Karin, Margaret, Julia S., Meaghan, Hannah, and Eliska.
Eliska at the narrows, St. John's Harbour.
Screeching-in ceremony at Christian's Pub.
Participating in Newfoundland's unique and evolving folkloric tradition.
Honourary Newfoundlanders
Taking a well-deserved research break.
Thank
You!
We would like to acknowledge the Lloyds Register Foundation Heritage Fund for their Small Project Grant that made this workshop possible. Thank you also to the Maritime History Archive for patiently hosting us in their reading room and for their kind tour of their holdings. Likewise, thank you to MUN’s QEII Archives and Special Collections and to the Provincial Archives at the Rooms for allowing us to view their holdings and storage.
Thank you to: David Bradley, Tanya MacDonald, Kory Penney, Chris Mouland, Ellen Power, Michaela Doucette, Vicki Hallett, and Rebecca Ralph. This list is not exhaustive, we were helped by many people!