The Most Wretched of Humanity? The Inhabitants of Antwerp’s Sailortown, 1850-1930

‘Sailortowns’ could be found across the globe during the 1800s and early 1900s. They were urban spaces, caught between land and sea, where seafarers came ashore to escape shipboard order and discipline.

People who weren’t sailors generally depicted these distinct neighbourhoods as dangerous places, full of decadence and damnation, where keepers of lodging houses, sex workers and other villainous characters were waiting to exploit the umpteenth seafarer who was looking for entertainment and a place to sleep.

How dangerous were sailortowns? What types of relationships did transient seafarers establish with the permanent residents? How diverse were sailortowns in terms of class, gender and ethnic backgrounds? How did broader economic, political and technological changes affect the social composition of sailortowns? Did these neighbourhoods maintain their maritime character over time?

In this free online talk, Dr Kristof Loockx (Centre for Urban History, University of Antwerp) will take us on a tour of Antwerp’s sailortown, a neighbourhood with a notorious reputation worldwide, where many British seafarers resided. He will paint a more layered picture of the seafarer’s urban world, contributing to a better understanding of how maritime districts developed and operated over time.

Event Details

This event is free and open to everyone, and will take place via Zoom. There is no need to book; please click on the button below shortly before 5.15pm on the day.

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