Pirate Politics

The New Information Policy Contests

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Social Aspects, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Policy, Science
Cover of the book Pirate Politics by Patrick Burkart, The MIT Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Patrick Burkart ISBN: 9780262320153
Publisher: The MIT Press Publication: January 24, 2014
Imprint: The MIT Press Language: English
Author: Patrick Burkart
ISBN: 9780262320153
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication: January 24, 2014
Imprint: The MIT Press
Language: English

An examination of the Pirate political movement in Europe analyzes its advocacy for free expression and the preservation of the Internet as a commons.

The Swedish Pirate Party emerged as a political force in 2006 when a group of software programmers and file-sharing geeks protested the police takedown of The Pirate Bay, a Swedish file-sharing search engine. The Swedish Pirate Party, and later the German Pirate Party, came to be identified with a “free culture” message that came into conflict with the European Union's legal system. In this book, Patrick Burkart examines the emergence of Pirate politics as an umbrella cyberlibertarian movement that views file sharing as a form of free expression and advocates for the preservation of the Internet as a commons. He links the Pirate movement to the Green movement, arguing that they share a moral consciousness and an explicit ecological agenda based on the notion of a commons, or public domain. The Pirate parties, like the Green Party, must weigh ideological purity against pragmatism as they move into practical national and regional politics.

Burkart uses second-generation critical theory and new social movement theory as theoretical perspectives for his analysis of the democratic potential of Pirate politics. After setting the Pirate parties in conceptual and political contexts, Burkart examines European antipiracy initiatives, the influence of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the pressure exerted on European governance by American software and digital exporters. He argues that pirate politics can be seen as “cultural environmentalism,” a defense of Internet culture against both corporate and state colonization.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

An examination of the Pirate political movement in Europe analyzes its advocacy for free expression and the preservation of the Internet as a commons.

The Swedish Pirate Party emerged as a political force in 2006 when a group of software programmers and file-sharing geeks protested the police takedown of The Pirate Bay, a Swedish file-sharing search engine. The Swedish Pirate Party, and later the German Pirate Party, came to be identified with a “free culture” message that came into conflict with the European Union's legal system. In this book, Patrick Burkart examines the emergence of Pirate politics as an umbrella cyberlibertarian movement that views file sharing as a form of free expression and advocates for the preservation of the Internet as a commons. He links the Pirate movement to the Green movement, arguing that they share a moral consciousness and an explicit ecological agenda based on the notion of a commons, or public domain. The Pirate parties, like the Green Party, must weigh ideological purity against pragmatism as they move into practical national and regional politics.

Burkart uses second-generation critical theory and new social movement theory as theoretical perspectives for his analysis of the democratic potential of Pirate politics. After setting the Pirate parties in conceptual and political contexts, Burkart examines European antipiracy initiatives, the influence of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the pressure exerted on European governance by American software and digital exporters. He argues that pirate politics can be seen as “cultural environmentalism,” a defense of Internet culture against both corporate and state colonization.

More books from The MIT Press

Cover of the book Being Ecological by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Plantations and Protected Areas by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book The The Monstrosity of Christ by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book When I Was a Photographer by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Incontinence of the Void by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book The The Social Construction of Technological Systems by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book A Composer's Guide to Game Music by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Hermeneutica by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Here/There by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Cognitive Unconscious and Human Rationality by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Beyond the Big Ditch by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Networked Press Freedom by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Search Foundations by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book A Case for Climate Engineering by Patrick Burkart
Cover of the book Consuming Power by Patrick Burkart
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy