Georgetown Research Lecture Series at QF Highlights History of Somali Piracy in the Indian Ocean

Press release
Published February 24th, 2021 - 06:22 GMT
Georgetown Research Lecture Series at QF Highlights History of Somali Piracy in the Indian Ocean
Piracy and Protection in the Indian Ocean.
Highlights
The Indian Ocean Working Group (IOWG) research initiative at QF-partner Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) organized a Loiy Hammad Memorial Lecture featuring Jatin Dua

The Indian Ocean Working Group (IOWG) research initiative at QF-partner Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) organized a Loiy Hammad Memorial Lecture featuring Jatin Dua, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, on his award winning book, Captured at Sea: Piracy and Protection in the Indian Ocean.

In his book, which won the Elliott P. Skinner Book Award 2020 from the Association for Africanist Anthropology, Professor Dua explores the unprecedented upsurge in modern maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia that captured global attention and impacted the global shipping market.  

Recounting the extensive research that took him inside pirate communities in Somalia, on traditional dhows and cargo ships, and into the financial centers of the UK, Professor Dua made a strong case for understanding 21st Century pirates as the outcome of a long history of trade and regulatory disputes over the rich resources of the Indian Ocean.

This economic development effort, he argued, led to the rise of the local coast guard system of fishing licensing and protection. Following the collapse of the Somali state, semi-autonomous regions “turned to private security to extract rents from the sea, and in doing so, transitioned from licensing to piracy.” said Professor Dua. “This was a key moment in the shift from catching fish to capturing ships.”

“This book is a wealth of opulent ethnographic research on the Indian Ocean world that critically expands our understanding of this region and of the modern world of piracy,” said Professor of Anthropology Dr. Rogaia Abusharaf, a founding member of the Indian Ocean Working Group (IOWG) at GU-Q, which organized the event. 

“It decolonizes the study of piracy by pushing back on the idea that it is the natural end result of a failed state, and instead points to a host of historical events and geographical connections that offer a more nuanced explanation.” 

Since 2014, the Indian Ocean Working Group (IOWG) at GU-Q has brought together scholars from across the world to build collaborative multidisciplinary networks that study the rich and complex histories of the places and peoples of the Indian Ocean rim. The IOWG’s Loiy Hammad Memorial Lecture Series features distinguished scholars working on different aspects of the Indian Ocean World.

Background Information

Georgetown University in Qatar

Established in 1789 in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions. Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), founded in 2005 in partnership with Qatar Foundation, seeks to build upon the world-class reputation of the university through education, research, and service. Inspired by the university’s mission of promoting intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding, GU-Q aims to advance knowledge and provide students and the community with a holistic educational experience that produces global citizens committed to the service of humankind.

Located in Doha’s Education City, GU-Q offers the same internationally recognized Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree as Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in Washington, DC. This unique, interdisciplinary program prepares students to tackle the most important and pressing global issues by helping them develop critical thinking, analytic, and communication skills within an international context. GU-Q alumni work in leading local and international organizations across industries ranging from finance to energy, education, and media. The Qatar campus also serves as a residency and delivery location for the Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management along with the Executive Master’s in Leadership.

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