Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia

A characteristically radical re-reading of history that places the social and political experiments of pirates at the heart of the European Enlightenment. A brilliant companion volume to the best-selling Dawn of Everything by Amitav Ghosh.

David Graeber argues that the Enlightenment did not originate in Europe, but on the island of Madagascar in the late seventeenth century, among several thousand pirates. This era marked the Golden Age of Piracy, but also a fleeting period of radical democracy. Graeber, an anthropologist, reveals how pirate settlers endeavored to apply the egalitarian principles of their ships to a new society on land.

In this captivating book, Graeber proposes a method to 'decolonize the Enlightenment', illustrating how this diverse community experimented with an alternative vision of human freedom, far removed from the salons and coffee houses of Europe. Malagasy women, philosopher kings, and escaped slaves were among the key figures exploring ideas that would later influence Western revolutionary movements.

Pirate Enlightenment playfully deconstructs the central myths of the Enlightenment, replacing them with tales of magic, sea battles, purloined princesses, manhunts, fictitious kingdoms, deceptive ambassadors, spies, jewel thieves, poisoners, and even devil worship. These elements form the origins of modern freedom as we know it today.