Author Archives: Laleh Khalili

The ship as the heterotopia par excellence

Posted on 4 June 2014 by Laleh Khalili

How wonderful is it that Foucault considers the ship the perfect heterotopia: Brothels and colonies are two extreme types of heterotopia, and if we think, after all, that the boat is a floating piece of space, a place without a place, that … Continue reading →

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Transport capital

Posted on 30 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

There is a lot to chew on here, but this sentence really struck me: “As for finance, there’s been no tendency for its executives’ pay to outpace that of nonfinancial executives. On the contrary: even during the bubble years of the 2000s, … Continue reading →

Posted in capital accumulation, finance and insurance, logistics, political economy, transport | Leave a comment

“war, commerce, and transit”

Posted on 29 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

“Let us have the courage to be crude: let us sweep the spirit of subtlety down the sewer along with the flags and the great warriors.” Paul Nizan Paul Nizan’s star burned bright and brief.  He was a classmate of Jean-Paul Sartre‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in empire, imperialism & colonialism, literature, Middle East, ports, readings, ships, war | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The ship

Posted on 28 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

Come end of January 2015, I will be on this ship:

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Edward Said on Cavafy in Alexandria

Posted on 27 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

In his Reflections on Exile, Edward Said has a lovely elegiac essay called Cairo and Alexandria, which is an ode to Cairo and a eulogy for Alexandria.  I love the bits that follow (and especially sympathise with the fear of consulates … Continue reading →

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“a seaman in exile from the sea”

Posted on 26 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

Do you remember that haunting Conrad quotation from Heart of Darkness that says “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a … Continue reading →

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“…We’re all exiles”

Posted on 18 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

It’s at moments of misfortune that we remember we are all exiles (Total Chaos, p. 98) I first read about Marseilles when I was around 10 years old and someone gave me the Persian translation of The Count of Monte Cristo. … Continue reading →

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Muslim Pirates

Posted on 5 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

Pirate Utopias is a strange little book – at once a bit disappointing and a portal to further discovery.  The concept behind it is fabulous enough (about which more below) and the blurbs on the back -by Christopher Hill, Marcus … Continue reading →

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The Brooklyn Docks

Posted on 2 May 2014 by Laleh Khalili

Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront (1954) is often ranked among the greatest films made in the US.  I had seen it when I had been very young but, because of a friend’s suggestion, recently reread the script.  I was rather shocked … Continue reading →

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pair of ragged claws

Posted on 29 April 2014 by Laleh Khalili

From Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into the Night (thank you Anya!) EDMUND: You’ve just told me some high spots in your memories. Want to hear mine? They’re all connected with the sea. Here’s one. When I was on the Squarehead square … Continue reading →

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