he Block Island Maritime Institute’s Tuesday Night Talk on July 5 will feature Dr. Helen M. Rozwadowski. Join us Tuesday at 7 p.m. as Dr. Rozwadowski discusses the subject of her latest book, “Vast Expanses – a History of the Oceans.”Listen as this renowned historian dives in and discusses how knowing the undersea realm is an ancient achievement, at least among cultures that used diving as part of subsistence gathering. Representations of the undersea are much more recent, taking shape especially in the 19th century, as naturalists began to pursue marine fauna and flora for scientific study and as the technology of submarine telegraph cables helped summon the ocean floor into popular consciousness. Her talk explores several visual and literary images of the inaccessible undersea in this period and discusses how science, technology, and imagination shaped their creation and interpretation.Dr. Rozwadowski is a professor of history and is the founder of the Maritime Studies program at the University of Connecticut, Avery. Her most recent book (2018) is “Vast Expanses: A History of the Oceans.” Other books include “Fathoming the Ocean: The Discovery and Exploration of the Deep Sea” (2005), which was awarded the History of Science Society’s Davis
