Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia

Amitav Ghosh's The Enlightenment did not begin in Europe, but in Madagascar in the late seventeenth century. This was the Golden Age of Piracy, a brief window of radical democracy where pirate settlers attempted to apply egalitarian principles to a new society on land. David Graeber offers a way to decolonize the Enlightenment, demonstrating how this mixed community experimented with an alternative vision of human freedom. Pirate Enlightenment dismantles the central myths of the Enlightenment and presents a story about the magic, sea battles, purloined princesses, manhunts, make-believe kingdoms, fraudulent ambassadors, spies, jewel thieves, poisoners, and devil worship that lie at the origins of modern freedom.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 25 January 2024
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

A groundbreaking reinterpretation of history that centers on the social and political experiments of pirates during the European Enlightenment. This captivating companion to the bestselling Dawn of Everything by Amitav Ghosh reveals that the true origins of the Enlightenment lie thousands of miles away on the island of Madagascar in the late seventeenth century. This period marked the Golden Age of Piracy, but it was also a brief moment of radical democracy as the pirate settlers attempted to apply the egalitarian principles of their ships to a new society on land.

In this remarkable book, anthropologist David Graeber offers a transformative approach to decolonize the Enlightenment. He demonstrates how this diverse community experimented with an alternative vision of human freedom, far from the formulations in the salons and coffee houses of Europe. The cast of characters includes Malagasy women, philosopher kings, and escaped slaves, who explored ideas that would later be implemented by Western revolutionary regimes a century later.

Pirate Enlightenment joyfully challenges the core myths of the Enlightenment. Instead, it presents a captivating narrative about the magic, sea battles, stolen princesses, manhunts, mythical kingdoms, fraudulent ambassadors, spies, jewel thieves, poisoners, and devil worship that lay at the foundations of modern freedom. This provocative and entertaining book offers a fresh perspective on the origins of our contemporary world, challenging us to reevaluate our understanding of history and the forces that have shaped our society.

Weight: 160g
Dimension: 197 x 129 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781802061567