Gendered heritage on Smith Island: the taste of things and comic relief

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the subject of women’s knowledge in a small fishing community on Smith Island, Maryland in the U.S. I discuss this how fluid gender division of knowledge relates to life on a small island, and how it also lends itself to a certain social cohesion. Between women. I focus on this gender cohesion, as I explore the rituals of Smith Island women, framing my discussion around the annual event known as the Ladies Dinner. By following the structure of a particular gender-specific celebration, I not only discuss solidarity in women’s agency, but also offer an in-depth analysis of the satirical skits performed on stage, showing a double figure elicited through the technique of comic inversion. In my analysis of the comedic parodies presented, I further discuss the playful and fluid nature of such engagements and the subversions of gender, which women use when they are confronted with perceived gender boundaries. This article shows how deeply Smith Island women embrace their collective life and reveals their strategies for reinventing their multilevel knowledge in the face of a changing socioecology.