Noam Chomsky Discusses David Graeber's Posthumous Book on Pirate Societies and Enlightenment Origins
In an interview with ArtReview, Nika Dubrovsky engages Noam Chomsky in a discussion about David Graeber's posthumous work, *Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia*, which is scheduled for release in January 2023 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Graeber, who passed away in 2020, posits that non-European influences, especially from proto-democratic pirate communities like Madagascar's Zana-Malata, shaped Enlightenment thought. Chomsky reflects on Graeber's themes, such as the historical narrative shaped by elites, the stifling of democratic movements, and their relevance to Roe v. Wade and the conflict in Ukraine. He also critiques NATO's aggressive policies and the opposition to Jeremy Corbyn's movement, mentioning Documenta 15 in Germany as a response to exclusion in the art world. The conversation also touches on issues of gender, free speech, and alternative democratic practices.
Key facts
- David Graeber's posthumous book Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia will be published in January 2023 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- Graeber argues that Enlightenment ideas were influenced by non-European sources, particularly pirate societies like the Zana-Malata in Madagascar.
- Noam Chomsky discusses Graeber's work in an interview with Nika Dubrovsky for ArtReview, covering topics from democracy to neoliberalism.
- Graeber died in 2020 and was known for books like Bullshit Jobs (2018) and The Dawn of Everything (2021, with David Wengrow).
- Chomsky connects Graeber's ideas to contemporary issues, including Roe v. Wade, the war in Ukraine, and the NATO Summit in Madrid.
- The conversation references Documenta 15 in Germany, curated by an Indonesian collective featuring artists from the Global South.
- Chomsky critiques elite control of public opinion, citing Walter Lippmann and Edward Bernays' concept of 'manufacturing consent'.
- Graeber's work highlights alternative democratic practices, such as those in pirate communities and Native American tribes.
Entities
Artists
- Nika Dubrovsky
- David Graeber
- Noam Chomsky
- David Wengrow
- Edward S. Herman
- Walter Lippmann
- Edward Bernays
- Reinhold Niebuhr
- Harold Lasswell
- Michael Klarman
- Benjamin Franklin
- William Blackstone
- Samuel Alito
- Clarence Thomas
- Jeremy Corbyn
- Tony Blair
- Keir Starmer
- William Polk
Institutions
- ArtReview
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Harvard
- MIT
- Oxford
- Wharton School
- NATO
- Supreme Court
- UN
- Documenta
- World Social Forum
- Via Campesina
- Labour Party
- The Guardian
- Kennedy School of Government
- Creel Committee
- Committee on Public Information
Locations
- Madagascar
- United States
- Ukraine
- Germany
- Cambridge
- Massachusetts
- Madrid
- Spain
- England
- United Kingdom
- Russia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Georgia
- Indonesia
- Bangladesh
- Latin America
- Africa
- Brazil
- Porto Alegre
- Middle East
- Canada
- Soviet Union
- USSR