ABSTRACT
Introduction All too often, piracy is described in sweeping generalizations and tired narratives as an activity of the poor. Grounded in the belief that nobody would willingly engage in this kind of criminal activity if they had other choices, these narratives posit that ‘pirates’ are forced into this lamentable enterprise. These narratives are framed as an existential response to the external pressures applied on littoral communities by powerful ‘others’ (like conglomerates/industrial fishing, pollution, corruption) or social systems failing those most vulnerable along the water’s edge; piracy is widely believed to be a course of last resort. However, narratives of poverty fail to give credit to the deeply professional knowledge and competency required to successfully undertake theft and hijacking at sea. Piracy, as it turns out, is an extremely complicated enterprise, one that involves more than those who perform daring acts of robbery at sea. Those who engage in ‘piracy’ come from complicated networks of financiers, brokers, buyers, talent recruitment, document forgers and corporations. Piracy is a highly professional enterprise, with technical experts performing at various levels and facilitating gray market economies that closely mimic legitimate practices. It is true that some ‘pirates’ get into the business initially motivated by the will to overcome crippling poverty. Yet the overwhelming majority of those I interviewed during nearly twenty months of fieldwork in Southeast Asia, suggest that most ‘pirates’ are professionals with valuable skill sets that regularly apply those skills in less-than-licit enterprises.
