Maine Studies

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of Maine through sources in history, literature, political science, Native American studies, Franco American studies, and other fields. The unifying theme is the significance of locality in understanding the interaction between the landscape and the people. How does the Maine landscape shape people's choices? How do the people use the state's landscape and resources? How do social, demographic, cultural, and environmental factors shape this relationship throughout history? The activities examined include farming, fishing, lobstering, and lumbering. How have commercial interests intersected with environmental concerns? The cultures considered include Native American, early Anglo settlers, later Irish and Franco immigrants, and more recent immigration and refugee communities.

Provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the culture and environment of the Maine coast. Uses sources in art, history, literature, economics, Native American studies, African American studies, and other fields. The unifying theme is the significance of locality in understanding the interaction between the Maine coast and the people. How has the coastal topography shaped human activity there? How have artists and writers helped construct the Maine coast in the popular imagination? How do the people - both currently and in the past - use the state's coastal landscape and resources? How do social, demographic, cultural, and environmental factors shape this relationship throughout history? Examines industries such as granite, lime, fishing, shipping, ship building, and tourism, to explore how these commercial interests intersect with environmental concerns and link Maine to the global markets. Asks how further coastal development can be reconciled with the threat to the coast's fragile environment.