MUNSON INSTITUTE

For more than 60 years, the Frank C. Munson Institute at Mystic Seaport Museum has drawn graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars to its residential, five-week-long summer programs in maritime studies. During June and July of 2023, Munson Institute fellows, faculty, and guest speakers will interrogate the region’s maritime past as a part of the multi-institutional Reimagining New England Histories: Historical Injustice, Sovereignty and Freedom project funded by the Mellon Foundation and in collaboration with Williams College and the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice at Brown University. Munson fellows will participate in almost two dozen guest lectures and seminars given by leading maritime historians, including many Black and Indigenous scholars. They will also attend five off-site field seminars and have opportunities to present and refine their own work for publication. 2022 Munson fellow Marina Wells states, “The waterfront experiences we had during the Munson Institute invigorated my scholarly approach, broadened my knowledge base, and created important connections among all of the fellows that will endure for years to come.” We plan to continue that tradition in the 2023 Munson Institute!