Dauntless She Stood: The Success and Power of Female Pirates

This poster presentation builds upon multiple previous independent research projects over the last eighteen months in which I have come to understand the individual lives of female pirates; Granuaile O’Malley, Anne Bonney, Mary Read, and Cheng Shih. These women provided a wide analysis of piracy as they each lived in different places in different eras. Though they do have similarities in some aspects, they differ in class, motivations to become pirates, marital status, education. This research aims to interpret female pirates as active members in the pirate community, rather then as analogies or simply counterparts to male pirates. They prove that women did exist in the male-dominated crime community, complicating the conventional image of male exclusive piracy. Female pirates force historians to reevaluate the nature of crime and gender, and provide important insight into the intersection of gender and piracy. This project aims to compare the methodology of these women and determine how they created or assimilated to the environment around them. All of these women were in power positions on their respective ships, taking on leadership roles. This research seeks to understand the nature of 'legitimate' power, specifically; religious, economic, political, social, and gender power. Through a comparative lens, this paper will document how these women defined their own worth.