Category Archives: piracy

Carceral Seas

Posted on 3 December 2020 by Laleh Khalili

I gave a talk to the Millennium Conference in October which can be seen here: And hopefully it will be published in the next few months!

Posted in empire, imperialism & colonialism, labour, logistics, Middle East, militaries, piracy, political economy, the sea, war | Leave a comment

Somali Piracy

Posted on 14 April 2015 by Laleh Khalili

This really is the best journalism about Somali piracy I have read.  It is immensely sympathetic to the ordinary crewmen, many often belonging to the global South, who are the victims of the piracy.  But it also shows the extent to … Continue reading →

Posted in capital accumulation, labour, Middle East, piracy, political economy, shipping conditions | Leave a comment

About Today: Steaming the security seas

Posted on 1 March 2015 by Laleh Khalili

10 February 2015 Everything anticipated our entry into what I can only call security seas. There are ships that do not send signals: they turn out to be warships of a sort, small, compact, going only at 7 knots with … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015 Trip, empire, imperialism & colonialism, militaries, piracy, seafaring, transport, Travels, war | Leave a comment

The pirate republics of North Africa

Posted on 27 November 2014 by Laleh Khalili

Just check out this incredibly fabulous painting of Hayreddin Barbarossa and Sinan Reis, 16th century pirates extraordinaire… (thanks Orit).

Posted in piracy, the sea | Leave a comment

Pirates Pirates Pirates

Posted on 13 September 2014 by Laleh Khalili

They are EVERYWHERE!  Here is Michael Dirda writing about campy pirates: Many [film pirates] are also distinctly camp. The first pirate most of us encounter is Captain Hook, who, as played by Cyril Ritchard in the Mary Martin version of Peter … Continue reading →

Posted in literature, piracy, readings, seafaring | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Middle East, piracy, ships, the sea, war | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Piracy and Counter-piracy

Posted on 18 April 2014 by Laleh Khalili

There is a kind of romance around piracy.  It is the romance of anti-authority figures and of a life lived not just in the margins but outside the boundaries.   Just think about the masses of novels and films about piracy … Continue reading →

Posted in finance and insurance, logistics, piracy, political economy, ports, readings, shipping conditions, ships, transport | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment