Newfoundland is a little known island lying in the cold Labrador current off the Atlantic coast of Canada. While its proximity to the valuable Grand Banks cod fishery made it one of the earliest parts of North America to be settled by Europeans, Newfoundlanders have endured centuries of poverty and exploitation. The brief burst of prosperity that followed their entry into the Canadian federation has now foundered in the present economic recession and the collapse of the fishery. Life in Newfoundland has returned to what it has always been - a struggle for survival in a harsh environment.In this context, the history and present experience of Newfoundland women forms a fascinating study. For Newfoundland women have not only learnt to survive but to establish for themselves lives of dignity and independence. This is all the more remarkable in a maritime society, which conventional wisdom says should be dominated by a macho culture and a rigid and extreme sexual division of labour. Based on ten years of research, the studies in this volume help us to understand this unique culture in the context of current feminist theory.