Document Type
Article
Version
Author's Final Manuscript
Publication Title
International Journal of Maritime History
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
This article draws on historical and ethnographic data from port chaplains working with the Mission to Seamen/Seafarers in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and the 2010s to chart a shift in the shape of that work. Relationships with seafarers are at the core of the work in both decades. We describe this work through individual support for seafarers, work around death, support for community building, and religious gatherings and events. While we find evidence for each of these components of the work in each decade, there is a clear shift in the shape of pastoral or caring work which became more individualized and practically oriented over time. This shift likely results from automation and shorter turn-around times for vessels as well as changes in the spiritual and religious identities of the seafarers and the port chaplains.
Citation
Wendy Cadge, Nelson Turgo, and Helen Sampson, "The Changing Shape of Support in the Work of Port Chaplains," International Journal of Maritime History (2025).
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).