Francis Gooding joins Tom to discuss Pirate Enlightenment, David Graeber’s posthumously published study of 17th- and 18th-century piracy. Golden Age pirates maintained surprisingly egalitarian working practices, Graeber argues, and legendary pirate republics may have been run on similar grounds. Tom and Francis talk about Graeber’s Madagascar-centred research, sift through myth and fact, and ask: was piracy a bullshit job?Find further reading on the episode page: lrb.me/pirateenlightenmentSubscribe to Close Readings Plus: lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.