New Books Network Anita Gonzalez, "Shipping Out: Race, Performance, and Labor at Sea" (U Michigan Press, 2025)
Jan 9, 2026
Anita Gonzalez, a Professor of Performing Arts and Black Studies at Georgetown University, engages in a fascinating discussion about her book, which unveils the hidden dynamics of cruise ship labor through the lenses of race, class, and gender. She shares insights on her experiences as a destination lecturer and how cruise performances often mask the workers' reality. Gonzalez traces historical parallels between 19th-century labor and modern cruise crews, emphasizing the complexities of identity and performance in this orchestrated environment.
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Historical Roots Of Shipboard Performance
- Anita Gonzalez discovered 19th-century African-American stewards performed high culture like Shakespeare onboard packet ships.
- This connection led her to link historical ship labor with modern cruise performance and ethnography.
Destination Lecturer Experience
- Anita Gonzalez worked as a destination lecturer on Caribbean cruise ships explaining ports to passengers.
- She contrasted that role with classroom teaching and integrated it into her research on cruise performance.
Cruise Ship As Orchestrated Performance
- Cruise ships create layered performances where staff permanently enact servitude and passengers perform entitlement.
- This sustained, encapsulated interaction amplifies race, class, and gender dynamics onboard.
