Pirate utopia
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Pirate utopias were described by essayist Peter Lamborn Wilson (aka Hakim Bey) in his 1995 book Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes, and in his earlier essay Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ), as secret islands once used for supply purposes by pirates that were early forms of autonomous "mini societies" existing beyond the realm and reach of governments. These pirate enclaves typify proto-anarchist societies in that they operated beyond mere laws and governments and, in their stead, embraced freedom.
Pirate utopias of the Barbary Coast
Located on the Barbary Coast (Salé, Algiers, Tunis...), those pirate utopias were haven for Moslem Corsairs from the 16th to the 19th century. The pirates, dubbed "Barbary Pirates", ravaged European shipping operations and enslaved many thousands of unlucky captives. However, thousands of Europeans also converted to Islam, forming the Renegados and joining the pirate holy war. Peter L. Wilson shows that these men and women were not only apostates and traitors, as they were considered in their homelands: their voluntary betrayal of Christendom can also be thought of as a praxis of social resistance. Peter Wilson focuses on the Pirate Republic of Salé, in 17th century Morocco, which can be considered a type of micronation, since like other pirate states, it used to pass treaties from time to time with some European countries, agreeing not to attack this nation's fleet.
Pirate utopias, a form of TAZ?
The main thrust of "TAZ" is that these "islands" of freedom can be replicated today, though the sea as a whole remains largely indifferent. Indeed, Peter Wilson believes they should be replicated as concrete utopias by all those who seek freedom, since to love freedom one must know freedom, and therefore one should take every step possible to make it a reality, albeit of a limited domain. His self-styled Temporary Autonomous Zones are the contemporary equivalent to the legendary pirate utopias of yore.
See also
- Barbary Pirates
- Temporary Autonomous Zone
- Libertatia
- Hakim Bey (aka Peter Lamborn Wilson)
- Peter Ludlow (author of Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias, 2001)
- Anarchism
- Data haven
- micronations
External links
- [Pirate Utopias] - From "Temporary Autonomous Zone"
- [Pirate Utopias (Do or Die) - Piracy and Anarchism]
References
- Peter Lamborn Wilson, Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes ISBN 1570271585 (Autonomedia, 1996)
- Peter Ludlow, Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias ISBN 0262122383 (2001)
- Hakim Bey, TAZ - The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism ISBN 1570271518 (Autonomedia, 2003)
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