Papers by Michelle Damian
International journal of maritime history, Jun 11, 2024
International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 2021
November 8th to 12th, 2011, marked the first targeted gathering of people involved in researching... more November 8th to 12th, 2011, marked the first targeted gathering of people involved in researching, managing, and developing underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (APCONF) has been convened every three years, providing a unique opportunity to bring together members of government agencies, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), museums, the private sector, and the wider community. Participants from over 35 countries have attended the conference, making it a truly international endeavour. The APCONF was created in part to promote awareness of UCH on a wider scale. As such, one of the primary directives of the inaugural conference was to ensure that all papers presented would be recorded in full in the official conference proceedings, so as to establish an ongoing archive of the critical work being done in this region. This artic...
International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 2021
November 8th to 12th, 2011, marked the first targeted gathering of people involved in researching... more November 8th to 12th, 2011, marked the first targeted gathering of people involved in researching, managing, and developing underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (APCONF) has been convened every three years, providing a unique opportunity to bring together members of government agencies, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), museums, the private sector, and the wider community. Participants from over 35 countries have attended the conference, making it a truly international endeavour. The APCONF was created in part to promote awareness of UCH on a wider scale. As such, one of the primary directives of the inaugural conference was to ensure that all papers presented would be recorded in full in the official conference proceedings, so as to establish an ongoing archive of the critical work being done in this region. This article will examine the wider benefits of creating this regional network through the APCONF, arguing that it provides an important venue for face-to-face networking that can lead to additional collaborations, and contributes to the understanding of how the conference may evolve in the future. The fact that the APCONF is not tied to a specific membership base provides not only unusual flexibility but also financial and infrastructural unsurety. The conference is organised by a group of dedicated volunteers and funded almost entirely by donations. As we stop to consider the first decade of the APCONF’s achievements, we also need to determine the best ways to ensure its sustainable future success.
Japan Forum, 2019
This article argues that Edo-period ship construction was often an intentional display of influen... more This article argues that Edo-period ship construction was often an intentional display of influence and wealth even among workmanlike watercraft. Maritime trade and transport flourished during this time, connecting the urban centers of Osaka and Edo with the farthest reaches of Ezo and Kyushu. The omnipresent nature and variety of styles of boats, from pleasure craft, to fishing vessels, to large trade ships are recorded diligently in hundreds of woodblock prints by numerous different artists. Careful analysis of the construction styles and contexts of these vessels in the prints, in conjunction with studies of contemporary ships’ treatises and extant artifacts in museum collections, suggests that shipwrights strove to create a visually striking watercraft. The prominence of watercraft in the woodblock prints indicates their importance in everyday Edo Japan, and the ships themselves were tangible displays of prestige along their trade routes. Examining the ubiquitous watercraft helps define the subtle ways in which seafarers and cargo owners demonstrated their influence to all who viewed them.
Historical Archaeology of Early Modern Colonialism in Asia-Pacific, 2017
Book Reviews by Michelle Damian
The American Historical Review
H-Environment, 2020
Japanese whaling regularly appears in the news today, but there has been surprisingly little writ... more Japanese whaling regularly appears in the news today, but there has been surprisingly little written in English about the subject from a historical perspective. Jakobina Arch's Bringing Whales Ashore takes a giant stride toward remedying that gap. Perhaps even more importantly from an environmental history standpoint, she sets out a template for reconceptualizing the history of Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) through the lens of the
Globalmaritimehistory.com, 2019
Nautical Research Journal, Jun 2010
Online Exhibits by Michelle Damian
This gallery is produced by students in “Shipwrecks and Seafaring, Piracy and Plundering: An Intr... more This gallery is produced by students in “Shipwrecks and Seafaring, Piracy and Plundering: An Introduction to Maritime Archaeology,” a Harvard University anthropology course offered in Spring 2016. Since as a class we could not go diving on an actual shipwreck, I wanted to find another way to give the students an opportunity to think like an archaeologist investigating a site. After consulting with the Academic Partnerships staff at the Peabody Museum, I realized that we had potential “shipwreck sites” available in the museum collections: a number of very detailed ship models. Students chose a model and, throughout the semester, will be researching and analyzing their “shipwreck,” just as an archaeologist on an active excavation might do to identify an unfamiliar artifact or ship.
I have received a number of requests via Academia.edu for this as a paper. It is not a published paper that can be uploaded here. The online exhibit was retired December 18, 2019.
Uploads
Papers by Michelle Damian
Book Reviews by Michelle Damian
Online Exhibits by Michelle Damian
I have received a number of requests via Academia.edu for this as a paper. It is not a published paper that can be uploaded here. The online exhibit was retired December 18, 2019.
I have received a number of requests via Academia.edu for this as a paper. It is not a published paper that can be uploaded here. The online exhibit was retired December 18, 2019.
Furthermore, that maritime community enjoyed a high degree of independence from greater authorities. In the majority of cases the codes indicate that the involved parties – ships’ captains, shipowners, and cargo owners – were to be the arbiters of their own conflicts. Unlike many land-based disputes, in which affronted parties appealed to a higher court authority, seafarers were responsible for finding their own resolutions independent of established court practice. The maritime codes are an excellent example of growing occupational specialization and autonomy in the late medieval period.
The prominence of watercraft in the woodblock prints indicates their importance in everyday Edo Japan, and the ships themselves were tangible displays of prestige along their trade routes. Examining the ubiquitous watercraft helps define the subtle ways in which seafarers and cargo owners demonstrated their influence to all who viewed them.
Seaside communities along the Inland Sea both shaped their environment and were shaped by it, creating different types of ports and port communities that suited their geographic location. This paper will argue that the geography and environment were major factors in the development of the Seto Inland Sea maritime network, resulting in the creation of different types of port sites that specialized in shipping or local production of goods. Examining how the environment shaped shipping routes and port town practices reveals the critical role of smaller ports such as Kamagari, Takasaki, and Naoshima in medieval Inland Sea shipping. Understanding the mechanisms of maritime transport clarifies the development of maritime networks and power relations between center and periphery as well as between peripheries.
This paper will focus on the various methods the MUA uses to present different projects, with a special spotlight on our Asian sites. It will also highlight ways to connect what is on the screen to actual hands-on experiences through different classroom-based teaching resources developed by the museum.
Presenting all of these varied methodologies in one venue provides the opportunity for viewers to learn readily about the most recent developments in maritime archaeology and culture. Visitation records show viewers coming to the site from archaeology, anthropology, history, maritime, art, and educational links, demonstrating that contributors and viewers alike come from a vast range of disciplines. The MUA introduces state-of-the-art research designs through this single portal, exhibiting the potential to incorporate numerous methodologies into anthropological studies.
Finally, in an effort to bring the presenters’ research into schools, the MUA strives to create teacher-friendly curriculum and learning paths, both online and in the physical classroom. This presentation will highlight some of the methods the MUA uses to introduce younger students to maritime archaeology as well as its efforts to encourage the creation of online resources in the university setting.
That being said, these artists were not themselves shipwrights, and were known to take liberties with some renditions of popular scenes. Straight rivers became curved to show a greater perspective, a lake-surface reflection of Mount Fuji was depicted as leaning the opposite direction to create a parallelogram symmetry, all for the sake of aesthetics. Although there was great technical detail in many of the woodblock prints, it cannot be assumed that the artists were always faithful to the original scene.
Woodblock prints depicted the rivers winding through the major cities of Edo (Tokyo), Osaka, and Kyoto as often as they did coastal waypoints. The variety and number of wooden watercraft in these prints are representative of the myriad of vessels sailing in Japanese waters at this time. This project will look at construction details and regional variations visible in the prints as compared with contemporary models and treatises as well as modern boats built using traditional construction methods in an effort to assess the accuracy of the artistic renditions.