Life Under the Jolly Roger_ Reflections on Golden Age Piracy (2010).pdf

pr aise 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. he last gasps of the hundreds

who were hanged and the blood-curdling cries of the thousands traded as

slaves inlated the speculative inancial bubbles of empire puting 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 he London Hanged ,

co-author of he Many-Headed Hydra

his 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 han Words and Endgame

Stripping the veneers of reactionary denigration and revolutionary romanti-

cism alike from the realities of “golden age” piracy, Gabriel Kuhn reveals the

sociopolitical potentials bound up in the pirates’ legacy beter 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.

he more so, those who aren’t.

Ward Churchill, author of Acts of Rebellion

In this elegantly and incisively writen work, Gabriel Kuhn provides a pro-

vocative interpretation of the history of piracy and contemporary “pirate

debates.” his 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 radi-

cal 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 lung sources

regarding golden age piracy not in order to establish a deinitive 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 reconigure 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. he 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 under-

stand why it happens and what it really means, this is the book to start with.

W hile modern-day robber barons give pirating a bad name, this impor-

tant book restores the balance through a lively and provocative narrative.

Deinitely one to read, and to treasure!

Randall Amster, Professor of Peace Studies, Prescot College

It is rare to ind a book that is not only entertaining but broadens your knowl-

edge as well. More rare even, a book that not only enhances your knowledge

but your perspective as well: this is the irst 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 diferent 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: Relections 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 ind a new analysis of piracy via diverse polit-

ical 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 relection on piracy. Life Under

the Jolly Roger is an absorbing mixture fulilling both the needs of the theorist

and the curiosity of the pirate-story lover. his book will be enjoyed by any-

one 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 his-

tory of let resistance and countercultural communities, Gabriel Kuhn’s book

Life Under the Jolly Roger: Relections on Golden Age Piracy is an important

contribution. Kuhn salvages the pirate from both Saturday aternoon 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 he Red Army Faction:

A Documentary History

Since I myself crossed the Atlantic on an old merchant ship, I can imagine

some of the diiculties the pirates must have had. he 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 fulilled, 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.” his 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 writen a great introduction to the

contemporary relevance of piracy, and has produced an ambitious and much

needed 21 st century (bio) political analysis. Using more traditional and cur-

rent theory and theorists, Life Under the Jolly Roger: Relections 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.

his book helps to correct that deicit, 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 let

by sea bandits with a rich vein of anarchist theory that runs through Clastres,

Deleuze and Guatari 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 read-

ing 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 relec-

tion 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

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