Home
Empty Vessel: the Story of Global Economy One Barge
Barnes and Noble
Loading Inventory...
Empty Vessel: the Story of Global Economy One Barge
Current price: $22.00
Barnes and Noble
Empty Vessel: the Story of Global Economy One Barge
Current price: $22.00
Loading Inventory...
Size: Audiobook
*Product information may vary - to confirm product availability, pricing, shipping and return information please contact Barnes and Noble
A
NEW YORKER
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A
KIRKUS
BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • The rise of globalization and financialization as seen from a barge—one Swedish barge, to be exact, built in 1979
"The many-headed hydra of neoliberalism has found its chronicler." —Sven Beckert, author of
Empire of Cotton
"I’ve rarely read a book that so deftly entwines a single, accessible story with the broad forces of globalization. A stunningly original history."
—
Maya Jasanoff, author of
The Dawn Watch
What do a barracks for British troops in the Falklands War, a floating jail off the Bronx, and temporary housing for VW factory workers in Germany have in common?
The Balder Scapa:
a single barge that served all three roles. Though the name would eventually change to
Finnboda 12.
And then to
Safe Esperia.
And later on, to the
Bibby Resolution.
And after that . . . in short, a vessel with so many names, and so many fates, that to keep it in our sights—as the protagonist of this fascinating economic parable—Ian Kumekawa has no choice but to call it, simply, the Vessel.
Despite its sturdy steel structure, weighing 9,500 deadweight tons, the Vessel is a figure as elusive and abstract as the offshore market it comes to embody: a world of island tax havens, exploited labor forces, free banking zones, Thatcherism, Reaganomics, and mass incarceration, where even the prisoners are held offshore. Fitted with modular shipping containers, themselves the product of standardized global trade, the ship could become whatever the market demanded. Whether caught in an international dispute involving Hong Kong, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Virgin Islands—to be settled in an English court of law—or flying yet another foreign “flag of convenience” to mask its ownership—the barge is ever a container for forces much larger than even its hulking self.
Empty Vessel
is a jaw-dropping microhistory that speaks volumes about the global economy as a whole. In following the Vessel—and its Sister Vessel, built alongside it in Stockholm—from one thankless task to the next, Kumekawa connects the dots of a neoliberal world order in the making, where regulation is for suckers and “Made in USA” feels almost quaint.
NEW YORKER
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A
KIRKUS
BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • The rise of globalization and financialization as seen from a barge—one Swedish barge, to be exact, built in 1979
"The many-headed hydra of neoliberalism has found its chronicler." —Sven Beckert, author of
Empire of Cotton
"I’ve rarely read a book that so deftly entwines a single, accessible story with the broad forces of globalization. A stunningly original history."
—
Maya Jasanoff, author of
The Dawn Watch
What do a barracks for British troops in the Falklands War, a floating jail off the Bronx, and temporary housing for VW factory workers in Germany have in common?
The Balder Scapa:
a single barge that served all three roles. Though the name would eventually change to
Finnboda 12.
And then to
Safe Esperia.
And later on, to the
Bibby Resolution.
And after that . . . in short, a vessel with so many names, and so many fates, that to keep it in our sights—as the protagonist of this fascinating economic parable—Ian Kumekawa has no choice but to call it, simply, the Vessel.
Despite its sturdy steel structure, weighing 9,500 deadweight tons, the Vessel is a figure as elusive and abstract as the offshore market it comes to embody: a world of island tax havens, exploited labor forces, free banking zones, Thatcherism, Reaganomics, and mass incarceration, where even the prisoners are held offshore. Fitted with modular shipping containers, themselves the product of standardized global trade, the ship could become whatever the market demanded. Whether caught in an international dispute involving Hong Kong, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Virgin Islands—to be settled in an English court of law—or flying yet another foreign “flag of convenience” to mask its ownership—the barge is ever a container for forces much larger than even its hulking self.
Empty Vessel
is a jaw-dropping microhistory that speaks volumes about the global economy as a whole. In following the Vessel—and its Sister Vessel, built alongside it in Stockholm—from one thankless task to the next, Kumekawa connects the dots of a neoliberal world order in the making, where regulation is for suckers and “Made in USA” feels almost quaint.
A
NEW YORKER
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A
KIRKUS
BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • The rise of globalization and financialization as seen from a barge—one Swedish barge, to be exact, built in 1979
"The many-headed hydra of neoliberalism has found its chronicler." —Sven Beckert, author of
Empire of Cotton
"I’ve rarely read a book that so deftly entwines a single, accessible story with the broad forces of globalization. A stunningly original history."
—
Maya Jasanoff, author of
The Dawn Watch
What do a barracks for British troops in the Falklands War, a floating jail off the Bronx, and temporary housing for VW factory workers in Germany have in common?
The Balder Scapa:
a single barge that served all three roles. Though the name would eventually change to
Finnboda 12.
And then to
Safe Esperia.
And later on, to the
Bibby Resolution.
And after that . . . in short, a vessel with so many names, and so many fates, that to keep it in our sights—as the protagonist of this fascinating economic parable—Ian Kumekawa has no choice but to call it, simply, the Vessel.
Despite its sturdy steel structure, weighing 9,500 deadweight tons, the Vessel is a figure as elusive and abstract as the offshore market it comes to embody: a world of island tax havens, exploited labor forces, free banking zones, Thatcherism, Reaganomics, and mass incarceration, where even the prisoners are held offshore. Fitted with modular shipping containers, themselves the product of standardized global trade, the ship could become whatever the market demanded. Whether caught in an international dispute involving Hong Kong, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Virgin Islands—to be settled in an English court of law—or flying yet another foreign “flag of convenience” to mask its ownership—the barge is ever a container for forces much larger than even its hulking self.
Empty Vessel
is a jaw-dropping microhistory that speaks volumes about the global economy as a whole. In following the Vessel—and its Sister Vessel, built alongside it in Stockholm—from one thankless task to the next, Kumekawa connects the dots of a neoliberal world order in the making, where regulation is for suckers and “Made in USA” feels almost quaint.
NEW YORKER
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A
KIRKUS
BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • The rise of globalization and financialization as seen from a barge—one Swedish barge, to be exact, built in 1979
"The many-headed hydra of neoliberalism has found its chronicler." —Sven Beckert, author of
Empire of Cotton
"I’ve rarely read a book that so deftly entwines a single, accessible story with the broad forces of globalization. A stunningly original history."
—
Maya Jasanoff, author of
The Dawn Watch
What do a barracks for British troops in the Falklands War, a floating jail off the Bronx, and temporary housing for VW factory workers in Germany have in common?
The Balder Scapa:
a single barge that served all three roles. Though the name would eventually change to
Finnboda 12.
And then to
Safe Esperia.
And later on, to the
Bibby Resolution.
And after that . . . in short, a vessel with so many names, and so many fates, that to keep it in our sights—as the protagonist of this fascinating economic parable—Ian Kumekawa has no choice but to call it, simply, the Vessel.
Despite its sturdy steel structure, weighing 9,500 deadweight tons, the Vessel is a figure as elusive and abstract as the offshore market it comes to embody: a world of island tax havens, exploited labor forces, free banking zones, Thatcherism, Reaganomics, and mass incarceration, where even the prisoners are held offshore. Fitted with modular shipping containers, themselves the product of standardized global trade, the ship could become whatever the market demanded. Whether caught in an international dispute involving Hong Kong, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Virgin Islands—to be settled in an English court of law—or flying yet another foreign “flag of convenience” to mask its ownership—the barge is ever a container for forces much larger than even its hulking self.
Empty Vessel
is a jaw-dropping microhistory that speaks volumes about the global economy as a whole. In following the Vessel—and its Sister Vessel, built alongside it in Stockholm—from one thankless task to the next, Kumekawa connects the dots of a neoliberal world order in the making, where regulation is for suckers and “Made in USA” feels almost quaint.
You May Also Like
More About Barnes and Noble at The Summit
With an excellent depth of book selection, competitive discounting of bestsellers, and comfortable settings, Barnes & Noble is an excellent place to browse for your next book.
Store Info
Find Barnes and Noble at The Summit in Birmingham, AL
Visit Barnes and Noble at The Summit in Birmingham, AL