mainsheet Archives - Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum is a proud recipient of an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) for Mainsheet: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Maritime Studies. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 80th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.

Mainsheet is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal of maritime studies. A venue for original research from scholars in many fields, Mainsheet offers a rigorous and enlightening perspective on contemporary maritime studies. It also includes compelling feature stories, collection spotlights, poetry, and world-class art. Themed issues have included our inaugural issue on maritime social histories and Issue 2 on maritime technologies, livelihoods, and economies. Future issues will be a mix of special themes and general issues in all aspects of maritime studies. All articles are available open access on the Mainsheet website, with no cost to readers or authors.

This year, AASLH confers 54 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. Peter Armstrong, Museum President and CEO shared, “We are not just preserving history—we are actively shaping it. Through initiatives like Mainsheet, we’re advancing academic research and reaffirming the importance of the American maritime experience.”

The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, visit www.aaslh.org.

Mystic Seaport Museum proudly announces the debut of Mainsheet: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Maritime Studies, a groundbreaking journal that fills a field gap in peer-reviewed scholarship that has been left by the dissolution of the American Neptune and other similar journals over the last twenty years. This biannual publication, available both online and in print, sets itself apart with its multidisciplinary approach, global themes and accessibility, and innovative design and distribution. Mainsheet offers a unique platform for scholars worldwide to explore maritime issues spanning the past, present, and future. With a commitment to inclusivity and diversity, the journal welcomes perspectives from various disciplines, ensuring a rich and comprehensive dialogue on maritime topics.

While Mainsheet maintains a global focus, each issue is tied with annual institutional initiative themes at Mystic Seaport Museum that drive exhibitions, programming, symposia, lecture series, and the Frank C. Munson Institute for American Maritime History. The first issue highlights maritime social history to align with the Museum’s new exhibition Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea. Highlights of the first issue include five peer-reviewed scholarly papers from leading scholars; an inaugural letter from Editor in Chief Christina Connett Brophy; a perspectives essay by guest editor Akeia de Barros Gomes; a photo essay capturing the experiences of workers aboard cargo ships during and after the COVID-19 crisis; features on boat preservation in Brazil, African miniature canoes, and a Viking ship model from the Museum’s collection; and poetry, book reviews, and listings for upcoming Museum exhibits and academic events.

“Maritime studies are the key to our shared experience. It is impossible to consider our cultural, scientific, economic, social, or even physiological development without consideration of the sea above and below the surface. It is also impossible to understand where we are and where we are going without understanding where we have been. We hope to elevate and broaden deeper insight into how maritime studies, past, present, and future are an essential part of global heritage.” –Christina Connett Brophy, PhD, Mainsheet Editor in Chief, Senior Vice President, Mystic Seaport Museum.

The editorial board represents a national and international team of invited expert scholars from various fields and partner institutions, with guest editors for themed editions. Scholarship from the print journal is simultaneously posted free and open access on the journal website, reflecting the Museum’s commitment to making scholarship available at no cost to researchers. Paid subscriptions to the print issue support this commitment. The print journal is full-color, perfect-bound, and designed to be a beautiful library addition.

To purchase, subscribe, or access the journal website visit https://mysticseaport.org/mainsheet/.

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