A note from the editors

Abstract

Piracy has long been a subject of intense popular interest. The stereotypical and often caricatured image of the pirate abounds across British society, whether in novels, in film or on the stage. This public obsession has frequently obscured scholarly efforts to understand better the lives and motivations of the numerous individuals who turned to criminality at sea. In recent years, however, researchers from a range of backgrounds have re-assessed and often overturned some of the long-standing myths that surround this ever-engaging subject. There is now, for example, a greater appreciation of the differences between corsairs, buccaneers and privateers and the many other seafarers that have been labelled as pirates. The ‘Golden Age of Piracy’ (itself a loaded and problematic term) has been situated in the longer history of maritime violence, from the ancient era through the present day. Similarly, piracy has been appreciated as a truly global activity, limited not just to the Caribbean, but also taking in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Indian Ocean (and, of course, Penzance). Pirates are now studied from the land as well as the sea, conforming to a broader trend within maritime history. Scholars now appreciate more fully the communities that produced and sustained piracy, while others have considered their remarkable cultural impact. As a result, our understanding of piracy has become more refined and more sophisticated. Indeed, research continues apace. This special issue of the Journal for Maritime Research presents four articles that shed new light on the subject of piracy, in all its guises. Each article is evidence of the great number of disciplines that now have a stake in these historical debates, including scholars of literature, law, warfare, politics, society and culture. We hope these fresh approaches to the study of piracy and the maritime world more generally will encourage further research into this fascinating topic.