Ships as ‘Total Institutions’. Acculturating Seafarers for a Global Political Economy
Ships as ‘Total Institutions’. Acculturating Seafarers for a Global Political Economy

Summary/Abstract: Although a number of aspects have been identified that have the potential to adversely affect seafaring occupational health and safety regime (Walters, Bailey, 2013), this article will concentrate on highlighting some factors within the seafarers work place that in the author’s opinion, have directly influenced some psychological adjustments that seafarers make, in order to adapt the seafaring culture befitting their workplace. Three noteworthy influential factors discussed in this article include(a) the cumulative effect of living and working in an enclosed built environment (b) the seafarers’ limited social circle while onboard ships (c) the physical and social isolation of seafarers from colleagues while on-board ships, and from their families and land-based communities by the ship structure and the geographical maritime nature of their workplace. These features were selected as they could be discussed from Goffman’s theoretical framework as possible influences on the seafarers’ workplace socialization process. They are just a few comparable factors between the situation of modern seafarers and Goffman’s subjects.The scope of this paper will explore the potential key factors to impact on psychological adjustments that seafarers make during their career working on ships. The author has based the discussion of ‘Ships as Total Institutions’ on the fact that there exists evidence of the cumulative effect of each of these three factors over time in the career of seafarers. The empirical studies provide the evidence upon which the author concludes that the ship is a ‘Total Institution’. This article has been written as the drafting of the author’s thesis is at an advanced stage. The intention of this paper is not prescriptive, rather as a catalyst for discussion of seafarers’ work environment and occupational health and safety from an additional social theoretical perspectives.

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