Author Archives: Laleh Khalili

Guardian piece about the explosion in Beirut

Posted on 11 August 2020 by Laleh Khalili

note: I wouldn’t have used the word “lawless” in the title, as the laws in maritime world are carefully devised to facilitate the accumulation of capital. The sea has always been the site of law — and the law has … Continue reading →

Posted in bureacuracy, capital accumulation, environment, infrastructure, logistics, Middle East, political economy, ports, seafaring, shipping conditions, ships | Leave a comment

Conversation with Rowland Atkinson about global flows of commodities, capital and people

Posted on 10 July 2020 by Laleh Khalili

As part of Verso Live events, Rowland Atkinson, the author of Alpha City, and I had a conversation about the global flows of capital, commodities and people:

Posted in capital accumulation, empire, imperialism & colonialism, environment, free ports/zones, infrastructure, logistics, Middle East, oil, political economy | Leave a comment

Logistics after COVID

Posted on 9 July 2020 by Laleh Khalili

I wrote the below brief piece for the Foundry, an online publication of the The University of California Humanities Research Institute. Logistics by Laleh Khalili As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, the traffic in the ports of China reduced … Continue reading →

Posted in capital accumulation, infrastructure, labour, logistics, political economy | Leave a comment

E-flux Oceans in Transformation series- Shipping Oil

Posted on 3 July 2020 by Laleh Khalili

This essay was originally published by e-Flux as part of their Oceans in Transformation series: https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/oceans/331863/shipping-oil/ Laleh Khalili Image from ship’s equipment during a journey in the Gulf of Oman. The cluster of triangles towards the bottom left are ships … Continue reading →

Posted in capital accumulation, empire, imperialism & colonialism, environment, labour, oil, political economy, shipping conditions, transport | Leave a comment

Ports, ships and the human economy of global sea trade: an interview with Laleh Khalili

Posted on 30 June 2020 by Laleh Khalili

Little has been written about the sea trade in the Gulf. Laleh Khalili’s latest book explores the complex realities that drive this massive economy.Tugrul Mende30 June 2020 During the COVID-19 pandemic many workers in ports and on ships have either … Continue reading →

Posted in capital accumulation, empire, empire, imperialism & colonialism, free ports/zones, imperialism & colonialism, infrastructure, labour, logistics, media, Middle East, political economy, ports, seafaring, shipping conditions, transport | Leave a comment

SSRC: A Time Capsule for Future Social Researchers

Posted on 4 June 2020 by Laleh Khalili

On 15 May 2020 I had a really great conversation with Indian Ocean historian Dr Saarah Jappie about a visual artefact that should be included in an SSRC time capsule on COVID-19. Here is the result of the conversation: Inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in labour, logistics, media, shipping conditions, ships, the sea, transport | Leave a comment

Why shipping is central to the very fabric of global capitalism

Posted on 3 June 2020 by Laleh Khalili

Some of the images in this Verso video may be familiar from my previous posts about my containership trips. Here is choose 5 photographs and talk about them: The photos are the following (not in the order below):

Posted in capital accumulation, labour, logistics, Middle East, transport, Travels | Leave a comment

Interview with Diepgang magazine

Posted on 26 May 2020 by Laleh Khalili

In January I gave a talk at the Erasmus university in Rotterdam. I was incredibly pleased that a lot of seafarers and people working with seafarers came to see it (and some were also critical of the talk – they … Continue reading →

Posted in labour, media, ports, seafaring, shipping conditions, ships, transport | Leave a comment

Interview from 2018 with ViewPoint Magazine

Posted on 26 May 2020 by Laleh Khalili

How Empire Operates: An Interview with Laleh Khalili Laleh Khalili February 1, 2018 Viewpoint: How do you understand imperialism? Is it still a useful concept? What analytical frameworks do you see as most adequate for understanding relations of force at the … Continue reading →

Posted in empire, imperialism & colonialism, logistics, media | Leave a comment

Interview from 2017 with Salvage Magazine

Posted on 26 May 2020 by Laleh Khalili

Logistics, Counterinsurgency and the War on Terror: An Interview with Laleh Khalili by George Souvlis and Laleh Khalili | March 16, 2017 George Souvlis: By way of introduction, could you explain what personal experiences strongly influenced you, politically and academically? Laleh Khalili: I … Continue reading →

Posted in logistics, media | Leave a comment