Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy

praise for life under the jolly roger In the golden age of piracy thousands plied the seas in egalitarian and com- munal alternatives to the piratical age of gold. The last gasps of the hundreds who were hanged and the blood-curdling cries of the thousands traded as slaves inflated the speculative financial bubbles of empire putting an end to these Robin Hood’s of the deep seas. In addition to history Gabriel Kuhn’s radical piratology brings philosophy, ethnography, and cultural studies to the stark question of the time: which were the criminals—bankers and brokers or sailors and slaves? By so doing he supplies us with another case where the history isn’t dead, it’s not even past! Onwards to health-care by eye-patch, peg-leg, and hook! Peter Linebaugh, author of The London Hanged, co-author of The Many-Headed Hydra This vital book provides a crucial and hardheaded look at the history and mythology of pirates, neither the demonization of pirates as bloodthirsty thieves, nor their romanticization as radical communitarians, but rather a radical revisioning of who they were, and most importantly, what their stories mean for radical movements today. Derrick Jensen, author of A Language Older Than Words and Endgame Stripping the veneers of reactionary denigration and revolutionary romanticism alike from the realities of “golden age” piracy, Gabriel Kuhn reveals the sociopolitical potentials bound up in the pirates’ legacy better than anyone who has dealt with the topic to date. Life Under the Jolly Roger is important reading for anyone already fascinated by the phenomena of pirates and piracy. The more so, those who aren’t. Ward Churchill, author of Acts of Rebellion In this elegantly and incisively written work, Gabriel Kuhn provides a provocative interpretation of the history of piracy and contemporary “pirate debates.” This intelligent book is a tour de force and required reading for both the radical and the scholarly community. Andrej Grubacic, radical historian and sociologist Life Under the Jolly Roger will appeal to anyone interested in pirates and radical practice. It brings the golden age of piracy to life and shows us the link to contemporary radical politics. I recommend this book to those who identify with pirates and seek a well-reasoned analysis of their legacy. Luis A. Fernandez, author of Policing Dissent: Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement In Life Under the Jolly Roger, Gabriel Kuhn takes on the far flung sources regarding golden age piracy not in order to establish a definitive truth about them but to dispel myths, clarify what we can know for sure about the pirates and what realistic questions remain, and to elucidate what the pirate legacy might mean for people today who also see themselves as excluded by or at war with the developing global order. Kuhn’s sincerely curious, detailed, and multifaceted investigation of piracy helps us reconfigure our historical understanding of such broad themes as the development of capitalism, colonialism, race, discipline and the human body, physical disability, rebellion and political violence, guerrilla warfare, and more. The book has the potential of becoming something of a milestone achievement in this regard… Peter Gelderloos, author of How Nonviolence Protects the State Piracy is as relevant in today’s world as it ever was, and if you want to understand why it happens and what it really means, this is the book to start with. While modern-day robber barons give pirating a bad name, this important book restores the balance through a lively and provocative narrative. Definitely one to read, and to treasure! Randall Amster, Professor of Peace Studies, Prescott College It is rare to find a book that is not only entertaining but broadens your knowledge as well. More rare even, a book that not only enhances your knowledge but your perspective as well: this is the first time the subject of pirates has been analysed using such a variety of theories, each of which lets you see history—its stories from a different angle. Even if you think you’d never be interested in the history of pirates, take a look at this book and you will be. Nora Räthzel, Institute for Migration and Racism Studies, Hamburg Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy is a very important book and a provocative read, especially in light of the current pace and space of globalization. In this book we find a new analysis of piracy via diverse political frameworks, and the ways in which they posed as political threats. Pat Lauderdale, Professor of Justice, Arizona State University In this vivid and exciting work, Gabriel Kuhn breaks new ground in philo- sophical, historical, sociological and political reflection on piracy. Life Under the Jolly Roger is an absorbing mixture fulfilling both the needs of the theorist and the curiosity of the pirate-story lover. This book will be enjoyed by anyone who sees no contradiction between adventure and scholarly care. Katharina Lacina, Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna At a time when there are an increasing number of books examining the history of left resistance and countercultural communities, Gabriel Kuhn’s book Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy is an important contribution. Kuhn salvages the pirate from both Saturday afternoon movie mythology and dewy-eyed romanticism, introducing the reader to an impulse for freedom that was as grim as it is inspiring. And, perhaps best of all, it’s fun to read. André Moncourt, co-editor of The Red Army Faction: A Documentary History Since I myself crossed the Atlantic on an old merchant ship, I can imagine some of the difficulties the pirates must have had. The ship is a sort of prison or “total institution,” life on board is always threatened by extreme scarcity and dangers of all sorts, necessities cannot be fulfilled, the men have to be prepared for violence as robbers and warriors, and there are neither women nor children around, neither trees nor meadows. Pirate “culture” can only have been a heavily patriarchal one. Unlike many self-declared radicals, Gabriel Kuhn never denies this while exploring the political connotations of the pirates’ “golden age.” This alone makes his incredibly multifaceted study worth reading. Claudia von Werlhof, Professor of Women’s Studies, University of Innsbruck, Austria Courageously broad in its scope, Kuhn has written a great introduction to the contemporary relevance of piracy, and has produced an ambitious and much needed 21st century (bio) political analysis. Using more traditional and current theory and theorists, Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy helps to understand economic and cultural relationships with crime, which have been poorly understood by many progressive people for too long. This book helps to correct that deficit, and is to be warmly recommended for both the specialist and general reader. Trevor Bark, Workers Educational Association, Capital & Class More than an historical analysis, Kuhn’s reinterpretation of “golden age” piracy combines a realistic appraisal of the archival evidence and traces left by sea bandits with a rich vein of anarchist theory that runs through Clastres, Deleuze and Guattari and Hobsbawm, to give us a radical reconceptualisa- tion of piracy with genuine contemporary relevance. His understanding of the pirates’ strategies, tactics, organization and politics will be essential reading for piratologists and activists alike. Christopher Land, Essex Business School Gabriel Kuhn cuts through many of the cherished myths about the Golden Age of piracy, yet leaves a radical core that continues to inspire. Life Under the Jolly Roger is wide ranging, ambitious, and highly readable. It’s a very wel- come contribution to the radical study of piracy. David Tighe, No Quarter Zine Like any great addition to the outsider canon of historical revision, this book provides a great challenge to what we might consider empirical truth in the realm of pirate lore. Here is a socio-cultural examination of the “golden age of piracy” that takes into account contemporary notions of community, democracy, and even economic reality. Pirates can no longer be relegated to the fringe without question, since their very existence casts a distinct reflection upon the pillars of any given societal center. Extensively researched, Life Under the Jolly Roger is a cohesive, highly readable narrative history that leaves readers with a new sense of what lies behind the term “pirate.” Brian Maxwell, Department of English, University of North Dakota Kuhn’s empirically grounded meditation on what the Golden Age of piracy might mean to us today contributes to the work of imagining how alterna- tive democratic social, economic, and political spaces may be carved out from within the contemporary global regime of patriarchy, white supremacy, and monopoly capitalism. By combining sound empirical research with a critical post-modern epistemology and great writing—a rare combination indeed— the work speaks to our need for inspiration as well as intellectual edification. Mark Harvey, Department of Sociology, Florida Atlantic University Life Under the Jolly Roger is a carefully researched account of golden age piracy that departs from the usual ideological banter. Its fresh perspective on the cultural and political implications of pirates breathes new life into dusty historical accounts, connecting them to contemporary social issues with insight and clarity. Most importantly, it offers lessons for practicing non-authorita- tive and egalitarian ideals in the here and now. Emily Gaarder, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Minnesota Duluth This is both an excellent account of piracy during its golden age and a great source of inspiration for social organizing beyond hierarchies and state power.

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