Pirates, privateers and the political economy of private violence
B. Mabee. Global Change, Peace & Security, 21 (2):
139--152(June 2009)
Abstract
Historical accounts of private violence in international relations are often rather under-theorised and under-contextualised. Overall, private violence historically needs to be seen in the context of the relationship between state-building, political economy and violence, rather than through the narrative of states gradually monopolising violence. Pirates and privateers in late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth century Europe were embedded in a broader political economy of violence which needed and actively promoted private violence in a broader pursuit of power. As such, the de-legitimatisation of piracy and privateering were the consequence of a number of interlinked political economic trends, such as the development of public protection of merchant shipping (through the growth of centralised navies), the move away from trade monopolies to inter-imperial trade, and the development of capitalism and industrialism. Present forms of private violence also need to be seen as part of a broader historical dynamic of war, violence and political economy.
%0 Journal Article
%1 Mabee:2009
%A Mabee, Bryan
%D 2009
%I Routledge
%J Global Change, Peace & Security
%K historiography military piracy privatization security war
%N 2
%P 139--152
%T Pirates, privateers and the political economy of private violence
%V 21
%X Historical accounts of private violence in international relations are often rather under-theorised and under-contextualised. Overall, private violence historically needs to be seen in the context of the relationship between state-building, political economy and violence, rather than through the narrative of states gradually monopolising violence. Pirates and privateers in late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth century Europe were embedded in a broader political economy of violence which needed and actively promoted private violence in a broader pursuit of power. As such, the de-legitimatisation of piracy and privateering were the consequence of a number of interlinked political economic trends, such as the development of public protection of merchant shipping (through the growth of centralised navies), the move away from trade monopolies to inter-imperial trade, and the development of capitalism and industrialism. Present forms of private violence also need to be seen as part of a broader historical dynamic of war, violence and political economy.
@article{Mabee:2009,
abstract = {Historical accounts of private violence in international relations are often rather under-theorised and under-contextualised. Overall, private violence historically needs to be seen in the context of the relationship between state-building, political economy and violence, rather than through the narrative of states gradually monopolising violence. Pirates and privateers in late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth century Europe were embedded in a broader political economy of violence which needed and actively promoted private violence in a broader pursuit of power. As such, the de-legitimatisation of piracy and privateering were the consequence of a number of interlinked political economic trends, such as the development of public protection of merchant shipping (through the growth of centralised navies), the move away from trade monopolies to inter-imperial trade, and the development of capitalism and industrialism. Present forms of private violence also need to be seen as part of a broader historical dynamic of war, violence and political economy.},
added-at = {2010-03-02T17:25:53.000+0100},
author = {Mabee, Bryan},
bdsk-file-1 = {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},
bdsk-url-1 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14781150902871994},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/246f6f4cf39a8d68d5efcf4b53998695a/jrennstich},
citeulike-article-id = {5361661},
citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14781150902871994},
date-added = {2009-08-04 15:54:08 -0400},
date-modified = {2010-02-28 21:03:34 -0500},
interhash = {b27701d191e92c18fdc5bbf3571e3648},
intrahash = {46f6f4cf39a8d68d5efcf4b53998695a},
journal = {Global Change, Peace \& Security},
keywords = {historiography military piracy privatization security war},
month = Jun,
number = 2,
pages = {139--152},
priority = {2},
publisher = {Routledge},
timestamp = {2010-03-06T16:42:07.000+0100},
title = {Pirates, privateers and the political economy of private violence},
volume = 21,
year = 2009
}