ODSECS 38: Lama Elsharif

Sailing Semantics: The Evolving Terms and Identities of North African Corsairs

Abstract: In this talk, I will present my current research on how the terms “corsairs” and “qarāṣinah” (corsairs in Arabic) have evolved in British, French, and North African discourses in the early modern Mediterranean period. This project interrogates whether North African corsairs were simply profit-driven “pirates” as depicted by European diplomats, or “ġuzat”/ “mujāhidin” (holy warriors) as celebrated by North African rulers and their societies. While initially referring to state-sanctioned sea raiders, these terms became increasingly ambiguous as North African corsairing blurred the lines between lawful and unlawful actions. By analyzing the etymological differences and political motivations behind both European and North African uses of these terms, this paper contends that understanding this semantic evolution is crucial for unraveling the complex power structures embedded in Mediterranean diplomacy and maritime violence.

Bio: Lama Elsharif is an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wolf Humanities Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in History from Purdue University and holds an M.A. in Diplomatic Studies and International Relations from the University of Jordan. Her research delves into the complex interplay of environmental, economic, and social factors that shaped political developments in the Ottoman regencies of North Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Her writing has appeared in The Markaz Review, and her forthcoming book chapter on reconceptualizing Tunisian corsairing will be published in an edited volume by the University of Amsterdam Press.