ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, we looked at the way in which whalers have been recruited, both in traditional and more modern times, and showed one way in which a whaling culture begins to be formed. However, our discussion has focussed on the differences found among those employed in the hunting and processing of whales, in that we have seen how the two groups tend to recruit members along separate lines, so that cross-mobility between these two separate sets of activities has been infrequent-except to some extent in the case of STCW. Given the separation of personnel brought about by specialization in hunting and processing, we now need to ask whether there are mechanisms involved in whaling which in fact serve to link people-in other words, whether there are not some integrating m echanisms based on similarities, rather than on differences.
