Guided tour around the new exhibition: SEAWOMEN
with Dr. Margaret E. Willson
Thursday June 11 ath 12:10 (12:10 pm) and Saturday June 13 at 14:00 (2 pm).
In June 2015 Icelanders celebrate the 100-year anniversary of women’s parliamentary right to vote. In the spirit of this occasion the Reykjavík Maritime Museum has opened an exhibition about Icelandic women at sea based on a research conducted by the anthropologist Dr. Margaret E. Willson. On Thursday June 11 at 12:10 and on Saturday June 13 at 14:00 guests are invited to go on a guided tour around the exhibition with Dr. Willson.
Dr. Willson´s findings overthrow previous ideas about women’s participation at sea in Iceland, which is higher than ever imagined. She discovered through extensive historical and ethnographic research in Iceland that women have consistently worked at sea from the mid- 900s to the present day. This appears to be different from any other group of female fishers about whom a study has been done.
Dr. Willson’s research focuses on women who have worked in commercial fishing in Iceland, covering all kinds of fisheries. This research is based on rich historical material and also on interviews and discussions with almost two hundred Icelandic women who have worked at sea in the last several decades. A presentation of this research through an exhibit at the Reykjavík City Museum, will bring new and exciting perspectives for both Icelanders and for visitors in Iceland. A book on the subject comes out in the fall of 2015.
Margaret E. Willson graduated with a doctorate from London School of Economics and has done various anthropological researches throughout the years. She wrote the book Dance Lest We All Fall Down: Breaking Cycles of Poverty in Brazil and Beyond, after living and working in Brazil where she advocated for girls education. For the past few years she has taught seminars at the University of Washington regarding fringe societies and gender education.
Curator: Íris Gyða Guðbjargardóttir.
Open daily 10-17
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
Grandagarði 8,
101 Reykjavík
