Mark C. Hunter
Encyclopedia
Mark C. Hunter, BA Hons, MA, PhD (born 1974) is a Canadian naval historian and currently an employee of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
.
, Canada
. He earned his BA Hons and MA in History in the Department of History, Memorial University of Newfoundland
, and his PhD in History at the University of Hull
, United Kingdom
.
and a research fellow with the Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Hunter's work focuses on naval/military education, training and recruitment and maritime non-state actors (e.g., pirates and slave traders) and relies heavily on social and economic history. His studies of the United States Naval Academy
have shown that it shared the view of adolescence in the West as a separate stage of life. Middle-class America, during the nineteenth century, shared this opinion and wanted their children educated in a safe environment for a future career, such as the Naval Academy. It was also an institution that shared this belief as it professionalized its officer corps and reveals that the United States Navy
had a professional culture before the outbreak of the American Civil War
.
Hunter's work on the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve
shows that the Admiralty
had to contend with local social and political conditions when managing the Newfoundland reserve. In addition, his study shows that rural fishers incorporated reserve service into their ‘occupational pluralism,’ working different jobs throughout the year and the British and political elite in St. John’s saw the reserve as a conduit to uplift colonial citizens, and instill in them imperial sentiments.
His work on piracy
and slave-trade suppression illustrates that Washington and London used their maritime and naval policies to further economic goals in the Atlantic while suppressing piracy and the slave trade and naval relations acted as a safety valve in wider Anglo-American relations until the outbreak of the American Civil War
, within the context of suppressing piracy and the slave trade.
Hunter's studies has been influenced primarily by the works of Jan Glete
, Andrew Lambert
, William B. Skelton, David Starkey (maritime historian)
and the statistical methodologies employed by maritime historians of the Atlantic Canada Shipping Project.
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador refers to the provincial government of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
.
Early Life and Education
Mark C. Hunter was born in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He earned his BA Hons and MA in History in the Department of History, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
, and his PhD in History at the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Academic Career
After competing his PhD, Hunter was a per-course lecturer at Memorial University of NewfoundlandMemorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
and a research fellow with the Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Hunter's work focuses on naval/military education, training and recruitment and maritime non-state actors (e.g., pirates and slave traders) and relies heavily on social and economic history. His studies of the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
have shown that it shared the view of adolescence in the West as a separate stage of life. Middle-class America, during the nineteenth century, shared this opinion and wanted their children educated in a safe environment for a future career, such as the Naval Academy. It was also an institution that shared this belief as it professionalized its officer corps and reveals that the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
had a professional culture before the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Hunter's work on the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve
Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve
The Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve was a military reserve force founded in 1900 in what was then the Colony of Newfoundland, a part of the British Empire...
shows that the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
had to contend with local social and political conditions when managing the Newfoundland reserve. In addition, his study shows that rural fishers incorporated reserve service into their ‘occupational pluralism,’ working different jobs throughout the year and the British and political elite in St. John’s saw the reserve as a conduit to uplift colonial citizens, and instill in them imperial sentiments.
His work on piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
and slave-trade suppression illustrates that Washington and London used their maritime and naval policies to further economic goals in the Atlantic while suppressing piracy and the slave trade and naval relations acted as a safety valve in wider Anglo-American relations until the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, within the context of suppressing piracy and the slave trade.
Hunter's studies has been influenced primarily by the works of Jan Glete
Jan Glete
Jan Glete was a Swedish historian. He was professor of history at the Stockholm University, specializing in 20th century Swedish industry and banking as well as the connection between state formation and naval history in early modern Europe.-Academic career:Glete spent his entire academic career...
, Andrew Lambert
Andrew Lambert
Andrew Lambert BA , MA, PhD, FRHistS is a British naval historian, who is currently Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College London.-Early life and education:...
, William B. Skelton, David Starkey (maritime historian)
David Starkey (maritime historian)
Dr David J Starkey is a specialist in eighteenth and nineteenth-century British maritime history. His research focusses on shipping, seafaring, privateering, fisheries and marine environmental history...
and the statistical methodologies employed by maritime historians of the Atlantic Canada Shipping Project.
Books
- A Society of Gentlemen: Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, 1845-1861. Naval Institute Press, 2010.
- To Employ and Uplift Them: The Newfoundland Naval Reserve, 1899-1926. ISER Books, 2009.
- Policing the Seas: Anglo-American Relations and the Equatorial Atlantic, 1819 to 1865. International Maritime Economic History Association, 2008.
Major Articles
- “Patriots and a Menace: American Values and the Pirate Paradox, 1776-1827,” The Journal for Maritime Research 12, no. 1 (December 2010): 1-26
- “The US Naval Academy and its Summer Cruises: Professionalization in the Antebellum US Navy, 1845 to 1861,” The Journal of Military History 70, no. 4 (October 2006): 963-994.
- "The Hero Packs a Punch: Sir Charles Hotham, Liberalism, and West Africa, 1846-50,” Mariner’s Mirror 92, no. 3 (August 2006): 282-299.
- “HMS Calypso: Locating the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve Drill Ship, 1900-22,” Great Circle 28, no. 1 (2006): 36-60.
- “Changing the Flag: The Cloak of Newfoundland Registry for American Rum-Running, 1924-1934,” Newfoundland and Labrador Studies 21, no. 1 (Spring 2006): 41-69.
- “Anglo-American Political and Naval Response to West Indian Piracy,” International Journal of Maritime History 13, no. 1 (June 2001): 63-93.
- “Youth, Law, and Discipline at the US Naval Academy, 1845-1861,” The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du nord 10, no. 2 (April 2000): 23-39.