“Rewilding” is an increasingly influential concept, though the widespread, if unplanned, rewildin... more “Rewilding” is an increasingly influential concept, though the widespread, if unplanned, rewilding that takes place in “no man’s land” or demilitarized zones has received limited attention from environmental historians, and none at all from historians of islands. When former military bases or conflict areas are opened up to development and tourism, the continued presence of the new non-human residents poses both opportunities and challenges. This article will consider two late twentieth-century examples, Quemoy and the Falklands, where the classic traits of insularity—the natural limit of resources and the geographical separation from the mainland—were compounded by the presence of minefields and stringent military control, permitting the emergence of an insular military ecology. The later discovery of the “rewilded” areas by journalists, nature writers, and companies promoting tourism invited reflection on the ability of nature to regenerate and on the larger meanings of post-conflict landscapes. Islands figure here, once again, as sites of the production of knowledge and as opportunities for experimentation, yet in ways which differ from the examples considered by earlier historians of islands.
Mary Anne Talbot was in her late twenties when she became a domestic servant in the household of ... more Mary Anne Talbot was in her late twenties when she became a domestic servant in the household of the publisher R. S. Kirby.1 Talbot had a remarkable tale to tell. In her mid-teens, she had been forced to dress as a male so that she could accompany the lecherous Captain Essex Bowen overseas, first as a footboy, later as a drummer. After many complicated adventures, she became a sailor, still passing as “John Taylor,” experiencing storms and battles at sea. Perhaps the most extraordinary part of her narrative, however, was her continued cross-dressing in London. Talbot now lived as a woman, but “took excursions as a sailor,” meeting up with “messmates I had known on board the Brunswick” at the Coach and Horses pub across from Somerset House. She enjoyed “smoking, drinking grog, &c.” with these “brave fellows.” On another occasion, she put on her “seaman’s dress” in order to march in a victory parade that commemorated the naval triumphs of the Admirals Howe, St. Vincent, and Duncan. He...
Is coastal history a subdivision of maritime history, or does it represent a clear break with pas... more Is coastal history a subdivision of maritime history, or does it represent a clear break with past scholarship? This chapter argues that the emergence of coastal history is part of a deep, far-reaching transformation that has crystallized over the last twenty-five years. It considers some of the new terms and concepts and adds to these a three-part taxonomy of the “coastal-urban forms:” the urban foreshore, the urban offshore, and the urban estuary. It avoids nostalgia by considering these in the contemporary context, and concludes by suggesting that current conflicts—for example, those over sea level rise and “coastal squeeze”—may offer a stimulating vantage point for reappraising the urban amphibious in many different historical periods.
Land uses readings of Lawrence Durrell, Amos Oz and Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff to introduce the c... more Land uses readings of Lawrence Durrell, Amos Oz and Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff to introduce the concept of coastal exceptionalism. The tolerant coast may be a utopian space, a permissive arena for expatriate Europeans, a zone of nostalgia, or a centre of synergy. The chapter examines the examples of the Levant and the West Coast of the United States in some detail. The belief that there is a specific local quality that makes port towns uniquely tolerant places offers an interesting counterpoint to recent debates about the universal values of cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism and superdiversity. Land concludes with a discussion of Steve Jobs and Silicon Valley as a coastal expression of Saskia Sassen’s neoliberal global city, both hosting innovative firms and marketing themselves as stylish and transgressive.
War, Nationalism, and the British Sailor, 1750–1850
Jack Tar appeared an enviable fi gure to some, yet many common fi seamen felt that they did not r... more Jack Tar appeared an enviable fi gure to some, yet many common fi seamen felt that they did not receive their proper share of the credit for victory at sea. This was certainly not the result of a national indifference to naval triumphs; in the course of the eighteenth century, admirals quickly became celebrities on more than one occasion. 1 What, then, was the difference between Jack Tar and his officers? fi Patriots feared that the common seaman did not seem to care much about where his cannon pointed, as long as he found an opportunity to empty his shot locker. This implied not only unorthodox sexual behavior, but also the possibility that the sailor might turn his bellicose energies against Britain. Jack Tar ruled the waves, but until he could master himself, he would remain a suspect fi gure. fi The debate, then, would focus at least as much on the sailor's character as on his specifi c deeds. Two virtues appear repeatedly in this fi chapter: heroism, or what one commentator called "cool intrepidity," and reproductive virility. Heroism differed from simple bravery or fighting prowess, which, after all, many animals possessed. It fi mattered that you knew what you were fi ghting for. The "British hero" was a fi character who would not be found fi ghting for some other side. The fi hero also remained composed and thoughtful even in the heat of action. To some extent, this was an observation of an obvious truth: Battles were not won on mere enthusiasm. Victory required an intelligent and prudent mind that would not lose itself in the fog of war or the heat of battle. The physical expression of this attitude could be found in the ancient sculpture of Laocoön, whose face remained 4
The encounter between liquid blue and brown sand is not made to last. But when it happens it is p... more The encounter between liquid blue and brown sand is not made to last. But when it happens it is perfect, magical, intense. The rumor of the waters, the touch of the foam, the smell of salt, invite to dance, there in that wet empty land. Two elements passing through each other's lives, crossing for brief moments only, while the waves spread along the beach, before returning to the sea. Coastal Studies is at home in the shallow waters (bays, coves, estuaries, firths, fjords, inlets), but it also speaks to interstitial watery realms of all sorts (straits and portages; reticulated systems of lakes, rivers, or inland seas; archipelagos or island clusters). With its focus on the local, the adjacent, and the domestic, it is grounded in the specificities of physical places, searching at the same time to relate these to the wider world. Coastal Studies is especially well-suited to investigating the range of subject matter that is sometimes overlooked as "not-quite-oceanic," yet "not-quite-terrestrial." Its ambition is to embrace the entire array of human or more-than-human elements imbricated in these hybrid spaces. Despite their ubiquity, shallow water, sandy tracts, and waterfronts in particular are too often overlooked, or even disparaged. Perhaps this is simply because of their ambiguous placement, permeable nature, or intermediate location. Perhaps something more complex may be at work. In his essay "Brown," Steve Mentz has argued that the nouns, verbs, and adjectives which adhere to the textures of these spaces ("ooze," "seep," "mire") sometimes betray a visceral discomfort, an equation of "soupy, smelly" spaces with digestion, excretion, or decay which may subtly inform the thinking of ordinary citizens, policymakers, and academics, leading to ambivalence or disdain. 1 Acknowledging and embracing the inherent muddiness of our subject matter, we consider the outer limits of Coastal Studies to be incremental and shaded in both directions, like the coast itself. Coastal Studies topics are exactly the ones that could fall "either way," as they share the fluidity of the waves spread across the beach and the versatility of circulating sediments. Indeed, as Michael Pearson observed a generation ago, "how far does the coast extend inland?" is a research question, not a matter of definition. 2 If we think of coasts as cultural spaces and legal entities as well as material environments, then clearly the answer must also vary in different countries and historical eras. 3
A number of historians have drawn attention to the incomplete or highly selective visibility of o... more A number of historians have drawn attention to the incomplete or highly selective visibility of oceanic activity to land-dwellers. Some have gone so far as to refer to 'sea blindness'. However, particularly for scholars with an interest in coastal areas, 'sea blindness' does not capture the intense visibility of beaches and coastal cities in the twentieth century. It also does not engage with changes in science and technology which have permitted the creation and dissemination of vivid images from deep underwater. A critical interrogation of sea visibility, then, is urgently needed. A new term, the 'anxious coastal gaze,' is proposed. This short article discusses two examples of sea visibility in the context of the anxious coastal gaze: oil spills and illegal waterborne migrants. It concludes with a discussion of the future of the anxious coastal gaze in an era of climate crisis and sea level rise.
“Rewilding” is an increasingly influential concept, though the widespread, if unplanned, rewildin... more “Rewilding” is an increasingly influential concept, though the widespread, if unplanned, rewilding that takes place in “no man’s land” or demilitarized zones has received limited attention from environmental historians, and none at all from historians of islands. When former military bases or conflict areas are opened up to development and tourism, the continued presence of the new non-human residents poses both opportunities and challenges. This article will consider two late twentieth-century examples, Quemoy and the Falklands, where the classic traits of insularity—the natural limit of resources and the geographical separation from the mainland—were compounded by the presence of minefields and stringent military control, permitting the emergence of an insular military ecology. The later discovery of the “rewilded” areas by journalists, nature writers, and companies promoting tourism invited reflection on the ability of nature to regenerate and on the larger meanings of post-conflict landscapes. Islands figure here, once again, as sites of the production of knowledge and as opportunities for experimentation, yet in ways which differ from the examples considered by earlier historians of islands.
Mary Anne Talbot was in her late twenties when she became a domestic servant in the household of ... more Mary Anne Talbot was in her late twenties when she became a domestic servant in the household of the publisher R. S. Kirby.1 Talbot had a remarkable tale to tell. In her mid-teens, she had been forced to dress as a male so that she could accompany the lecherous Captain Essex Bowen overseas, first as a footboy, later as a drummer. After many complicated adventures, she became a sailor, still passing as “John Taylor,” experiencing storms and battles at sea. Perhaps the most extraordinary part of her narrative, however, was her continued cross-dressing in London. Talbot now lived as a woman, but “took excursions as a sailor,” meeting up with “messmates I had known on board the Brunswick” at the Coach and Horses pub across from Somerset House. She enjoyed “smoking, drinking grog, &c.” with these “brave fellows.” On another occasion, she put on her “seaman’s dress” in order to march in a victory parade that commemorated the naval triumphs of the Admirals Howe, St. Vincent, and Duncan. He...
Is coastal history a subdivision of maritime history, or does it represent a clear break with pas... more Is coastal history a subdivision of maritime history, or does it represent a clear break with past scholarship? This chapter argues that the emergence of coastal history is part of a deep, far-reaching transformation that has crystallized over the last twenty-five years. It considers some of the new terms and concepts and adds to these a three-part taxonomy of the “coastal-urban forms:” the urban foreshore, the urban offshore, and the urban estuary. It avoids nostalgia by considering these in the contemporary context, and concludes by suggesting that current conflicts—for example, those over sea level rise and “coastal squeeze”—may offer a stimulating vantage point for reappraising the urban amphibious in many different historical periods.
Land uses readings of Lawrence Durrell, Amos Oz and Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff to introduce the c... more Land uses readings of Lawrence Durrell, Amos Oz and Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff to introduce the concept of coastal exceptionalism. The tolerant coast may be a utopian space, a permissive arena for expatriate Europeans, a zone of nostalgia, or a centre of synergy. The chapter examines the examples of the Levant and the West Coast of the United States in some detail. The belief that there is a specific local quality that makes port towns uniquely tolerant places offers an interesting counterpoint to recent debates about the universal values of cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism and superdiversity. Land concludes with a discussion of Steve Jobs and Silicon Valley as a coastal expression of Saskia Sassen’s neoliberal global city, both hosting innovative firms and marketing themselves as stylish and transgressive.
War, Nationalism, and the British Sailor, 1750–1850
Jack Tar appeared an enviable fi gure to some, yet many common fi seamen felt that they did not r... more Jack Tar appeared an enviable fi gure to some, yet many common fi seamen felt that they did not receive their proper share of the credit for victory at sea. This was certainly not the result of a national indifference to naval triumphs; in the course of the eighteenth century, admirals quickly became celebrities on more than one occasion. 1 What, then, was the difference between Jack Tar and his officers? fi Patriots feared that the common seaman did not seem to care much about where his cannon pointed, as long as he found an opportunity to empty his shot locker. This implied not only unorthodox sexual behavior, but also the possibility that the sailor might turn his bellicose energies against Britain. Jack Tar ruled the waves, but until he could master himself, he would remain a suspect fi gure. fi The debate, then, would focus at least as much on the sailor's character as on his specifi c deeds. Two virtues appear repeatedly in this fi chapter: heroism, or what one commentator called "cool intrepidity," and reproductive virility. Heroism differed from simple bravery or fighting prowess, which, after all, many animals possessed. It fi mattered that you knew what you were fi ghting for. The "British hero" was a fi character who would not be found fi ghting for some other side. The fi hero also remained composed and thoughtful even in the heat of action. To some extent, this was an observation of an obvious truth: Battles were not won on mere enthusiasm. Victory required an intelligent and prudent mind that would not lose itself in the fog of war or the heat of battle. The physical expression of this attitude could be found in the ancient sculpture of Laocoön, whose face remained 4
The encounter between liquid blue and brown sand is not made to last. But when it happens it is p... more The encounter between liquid blue and brown sand is not made to last. But when it happens it is perfect, magical, intense. The rumor of the waters, the touch of the foam, the smell of salt, invite to dance, there in that wet empty land. Two elements passing through each other's lives, crossing for brief moments only, while the waves spread along the beach, before returning to the sea. Coastal Studies is at home in the shallow waters (bays, coves, estuaries, firths, fjords, inlets), but it also speaks to interstitial watery realms of all sorts (straits and portages; reticulated systems of lakes, rivers, or inland seas; archipelagos or island clusters). With its focus on the local, the adjacent, and the domestic, it is grounded in the specificities of physical places, searching at the same time to relate these to the wider world. Coastal Studies is especially well-suited to investigating the range of subject matter that is sometimes overlooked as "not-quite-oceanic," yet "not-quite-terrestrial." Its ambition is to embrace the entire array of human or more-than-human elements imbricated in these hybrid spaces. Despite their ubiquity, shallow water, sandy tracts, and waterfronts in particular are too often overlooked, or even disparaged. Perhaps this is simply because of their ambiguous placement, permeable nature, or intermediate location. Perhaps something more complex may be at work. In his essay "Brown," Steve Mentz has argued that the nouns, verbs, and adjectives which adhere to the textures of these spaces ("ooze," "seep," "mire") sometimes betray a visceral discomfort, an equation of "soupy, smelly" spaces with digestion, excretion, or decay which may subtly inform the thinking of ordinary citizens, policymakers, and academics, leading to ambivalence or disdain. 1 Acknowledging and embracing the inherent muddiness of our subject matter, we consider the outer limits of Coastal Studies to be incremental and shaded in both directions, like the coast itself. Coastal Studies topics are exactly the ones that could fall "either way," as they share the fluidity of the waves spread across the beach and the versatility of circulating sediments. Indeed, as Michael Pearson observed a generation ago, "how far does the coast extend inland?" is a research question, not a matter of definition. 2 If we think of coasts as cultural spaces and legal entities as well as material environments, then clearly the answer must also vary in different countries and historical eras. 3
A number of historians have drawn attention to the incomplete or highly selective visibility of o... more A number of historians have drawn attention to the incomplete or highly selective visibility of oceanic activity to land-dwellers. Some have gone so far as to refer to 'sea blindness'. However, particularly for scholars with an interest in coastal areas, 'sea blindness' does not capture the intense visibility of beaches and coastal cities in the twentieth century. It also does not engage with changes in science and technology which have permitted the creation and dissemination of vivid images from deep underwater. A critical interrogation of sea visibility, then, is urgently needed. A new term, the 'anxious coastal gaze,' is proposed. This short article discusses two examples of sea visibility in the context of the anxious coastal gaze: oil spills and illegal waterborne migrants. It concludes with a discussion of the future of the anxious coastal gaze in an era of climate crisis and sea level rise.
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