Pirate Enlightenment
2023 book by David Graeber
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia is a book by David Graeber, published posthumously in 2023.
| |
| Author | David Graeber |
|---|---|
| Subject | Anthropology |
| Publisher | Farrar Straus & Giroux |
Publication date | January 2023 |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | 9780374610203 |
Description
In Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia, author David Graeber argues that Ratsimilaho, a member of the Zana-Malata Malagasy ethnic group and descendent of a pirate, oversaw a period of democracy and peace as a precursor to the Age of Enlightenment. Graeber contests the common portrayal of Ratsimilaho as a figure who brought European-style “civilization” to Madagascar.[1]
Publication
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The book began as an expansion of a chapter of Graeber's On Kings (2017). Revisiting his early 1990s anthropology dissertation work in Madagascar, Graeber focused on the Zana-Malata and Betsimisaraka ethnic groups.[1] Graeber finished writing the book in 2013.[2]
Allen Lane acquired the book's UK rights via Janklow & Nesbit in September 2022.[3] Its first print run with Farrar Straus & Giroux was 200,000 copies in the United States.[4]
Reception
Pirate Enlightenment placed on LitHub and The Guardian's most anticipated books of 2023.[5][6] Upon its release, it appeared on the Indie Bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction, based on reporting from independent bookstores in the United States.[7]
