Dr. Mark B. Kelley, two-time Marquette English alumnus, will discuss his new book, “Crimes Against Feeling: Piracy, Sympathy, and Ocean Politics in Antebellum American Legal Culture,” as part of the Humanities Research Colloquium on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 12:30 p.m. in Cudahy 137.
A legal and literary history of piracy, “Crimes Against Feeling” recounts piracy’s development as an alleged crime against human moral sense. The book argues that pirates were the feeling of state’s political antipode, in theory if not in practice. Drawing on legal materials including treaties, trial transcripts, congressional debates and U.S. Supreme Court decisions, as well as popular culture and sentimental fiction (often produced by women), Kelley shows how competing emotional judgment — not political consensus — defined American piracy law and literature from the nation’s founding through its bloody Civil War. The talk will devote special attention to research that Kelley began during his time at Marquette, including work on maritime pirates’ role in the development of both global postal infrastructure and international copyright.
Kelley is an associate professor of English at Florida International University. He received his B.A. in English and History and his M.A. in English from Marquette. He also received his Ph.D. in Literature from the University of California-San Diego.
All are welcome to attend. For questions, contact Dr. Melissa Ganz at melissa.ganz@marquette.edu.
