The Social Science of Piracy

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July 11, 2011
For most of us, the word "pirate" conjures up Hollywood images of larger-than life characters like Blackbeard, who prowled the waters of the Atlantic nearly 300 years ago during the Golden Age of Piracy. But guess what? Piracy still thrives today and it's nothing like what you've seen at the movies. In this Science Bite, Museum scientist Marc Levine takes an anthropological look at piracy and considers how social and political issues have driven piracy throughout history.