Challenging Structured Space at Sea: The Case of Nineteenth-Century Migrants

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This research addresses structures of migrant ship-board space during nineteenth-century transatlantic crossings. I ask to what extent did controlled use of space reinforce conditions of class on nineteenth-century migrant vessels, and in what ways were boundaries challenged by passengers? I argue that challenging shipboard boundaries was a means by which passengers sought to reclaim senses of personal and community agency within the heavily structured space of ships at sea. I draw on historical accounts by migrants during passage, as well as my own phenomenological experience crossing the Atlantic by sail. Migrant ships during the nineteenth century were heavily structured by ticketed class, largely defined through restrictive access to space, with steerage passengers often restricted of space, air, and light. However, these structures were also fluid, as passengers challenged their contextual limitations. Individuals in steerage often engaged in “subversive economies,” gaining access to upper classed spaces, privacy, and better foods through bribing crew. Conversely, wealthy individuals sometimes masqueraded as paupers in steerage as a matter of voyeuristic “adventure.” By focusing on negotiated space aboard nineteenth-century ships, I aim to further contribute to the historical understandings of how space was constructed, politicized, and challenged within migration processes of the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33278