Piracy and the Nation State

Catalog description

This course will examine the history of piracy from the perspective of states' relationships with it. From the Roman Republic to present-day Somalia, how states have dealt with pirates off their shores teaches us a great deal about them: what their priorities and values are, the centrality of trade, what they consider 'criminal,' and how they wish to be perceived by other states. Whether as 'enemies of the human race' or useful adjutants to navies, perceptions of piracy have often defined how a state regards itself.