Wollaston Research Seminar (August)

Please join us for the Wollaston Research Seminar on Monday 18 August, either in-person at Wollaston Theological College campus, or online via Zoom.

Assoc Prof Robert Myles to present ‘Fishers of Men? Gendered Social and Material Contexts of Fishing in the Early Jesus Movement’

The building of Tiberias in 19 CE along the Sea of Galilee, coupled with industrial operations at nearby Tarichaea, precipitated a transformation of the lake’s fisheries, both economically and environmentally. Amidst this recalibration, the masculine identity of village-based Galilean fishermen was unsettled, caught up in the shifting tides of socio-economic change. Drawing on cross-cultural anthropological research into fishing societies, this paper explores how commercialisation and urbanisation, crew hierarchies, gendered labour divisions, recruitment practices, and social networks may have some bearing on the initial organising of the early Jesus movement. Widely attested features of fishing societies—such as amplified displays of masculine behaviour, mythologised tales of legendary fishers, and reliance on rituals and superstition in uncertain marine and lacustrine environments—offer fresh insights into gospel texts featuring fishing. Against the backdrop of a volatile lake economy, Luke’s account of the abundant catch (Luke 5:1-11) is taken as a case study for exploring these cross-cultural observations.

Join the Wollaston Research Seminar Series mailing list

To join our mailing list, contact research@wollaston.edu.au.

Zoom invitations and pre-reading will be distributed to this list in advance.

Event details

• Monday 18 August 2025, 2-3:30pm AWST (Perth local time)
• All in-person seminars are held in the Gerald New Room, Wollaston Theological College, Mt Claremont WA 6010.
• You can follow the link below to join on Zoom.