christa reviewed The Corporeal Life of Seafaring by Laleh Khalili (Discourse, #011)
a seafaring survey, grounded by the body
5 stars
this is my introduction to leleh khalili's scholarship and, more or less, to seafaring as a topic. it was an enjoyable one—the booklet is 100 quick pages, a really lovely physical object with images mostly taken of her own studies and travels. it introduces a lot of different topics relating to modern international trade that I had never thought about—how laws, wages, and working conditions are dictated on vessels crossing international waters; international labor solidarity within one boat (or lack thereof); etc.
the book centers all of this around discussions of corporeality and bodily experience, in ways that often left me feeling sad about all of the embodied knowledge and experiences technological advancement has taken from us. I don't think this feeling is nostalgic, exactly, but I'm investigating it. anyway, khalili ends up suggesting it is the alienation of capitalism, which is probably right but not wholly adequate for me …
this is my introduction to leleh khalili's scholarship and, more or less, to seafaring as a topic. it was an enjoyable one—the booklet is 100 quick pages, a really lovely physical object with images mostly taken of her own studies and travels. it introduces a lot of different topics relating to modern international trade that I had never thought about—how laws, wages, and working conditions are dictated on vessels crossing international waters; international labor solidarity within one boat (or lack thereof); etc.
the book centers all of this around discussions of corporeality and bodily experience, in ways that often left me feeling sad about all of the embodied knowledge and experiences technological advancement has taken from us. I don't think this feeling is nostalgic, exactly, but I'm investigating it. anyway, khalili ends up suggesting it is the alienation of capitalism, which is probably right but not wholly adequate for me as an explanation or signpost to more satisfying relations.
I think this is a great introduction to the topic and a gateway to khalili's other work, or just a nice standalone volume.