Care in Uncaring Places: Exploring Somali Piracy Hostage Incidents

Abstract

Abstract Care is not something that we typically associate with crime. In this paper, we challenge this idea by examining the case of ransom kidnappings by Somali pirates. To make this argument, first, we draw on existing social scientific research on care and care work to develop a theoretical account of caring actions that is consistent with an earlier scholarship while broadening its scope. We, then, draw on data from four memoirs written by former hostages to explore the various ways that Somali pirates provide care, as well as the reactions such caring behaviours induce in both the pirates and the hostages. We conclude by suggesting ways in which care may be examined in the context of other crimes.