Between Ransom and Release: Exploring Caringscapes of Ransom Kidnappings by Somali Pirates

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship on care has continued to push the boundaries of care research beyond the Global North and beyond the usual areas of study. In the spirit of finding care in unusual and troubling places, this article examines the role of care in an unexpected location – namely, ransom kidnappings by Somali pirates. Drawing on accounts from the memoirs of former hostages, this study explores the complicated relational dynamics of care that emerge between the pirates and their hostages. In particular, it focuses on the ways in which the locations of the hostage situations shape the manner and quality of care across four geographical zones in Somalia. The analysis draws on a caringscape approach and focuses on the “bricolage of care” pieced together from available goods, the limited skills of the pirates themselves, and the skills and resources of the hostages. By providing an unflinching account of care in these difficult contexts, this article seeks a more robust understanding of the varieties of caring behavior across the human experience and a more nuanced sense of where care fits into a discussion of ethics in a globalized world.