070361 UE Guided Reading - Global History (2019W)

Piracy and maritime violence are global social, cultural and economic phenomena. For millennia piracy played an important role in how past relations with the outside world were remembered. Focusing primarily on pre-modern piracy, we will read classics in the history of piracy and relevant primary sources in various European and Asian languages in English translation. The aim of the class is to reflect both on the global dimensions of the topic the stereotypical narratives centered on European and Atlantic history. Students will not only get an idea of the broad scope of piratical activities and their socio-economic backgrounds but also about the discourses and archival realities behind the sources describing pirates and their activities. We will learn how to independently spot different definitions of piracy and the motivations behind them. By integrating piracy with key research agendas of pre-modern global history (i.a. maps, state formation, gender, legal history, labour) the course will moreover contribute to a broader understanding of the field.