Women at Sea beyond Gender Politics

This book deconstructs femininity, masculinity, and sexuality in bodies of several specific seafaring women described in historical discourses from the view point of feminist thoughts, aiming to clarify gender consciousness in maritime culture. Since ancient times, the maritime world has been regarded as extremely gendered and considered a male domain. Why have "ships" and "the sea" been connected with masculinity? Is it true that maritime culture has consisted only of males? Why have women been regarded as inferior in the maritime world? These questions about the stereotype that the maritime world has been governed only by males are raised in this book, and it analyzes the mechanisms and preconceptions behind gender bias in the maritime world. It is logical to propose a causal relationship between the marginalization of women in maritime culture and the gender ideology of women's confined bodies. When ships can be considered as maritime mobile instruments, it is meaningful to focus on women's bodies in analyzing gender ideology in maritime culture.