Laleh Khalili | The Corporeal Life of Seafaring

The body of the seafarer is a fulcrum upon which global systems of power, longstanding maritime traditions, and gendered and racialised pressures all rest. In this essay, I draw on my ongoing research and experiences of travelling on cargo ships to explore the embodied life of these labourers. I investigate an experience riddled with adversities - loneliness, loss, and violence, stolen wages and exploitative shipowners - as well as ephemeral moments of joy and solidarity. In the unique arena of the ship, I trace the many forms of corporeality involved in work at sea and the ways the body is engaged by the institutions that engulf seafarers’ lives and work.
Laleh Khalili pursued a PhD in politics after earning an engineering degree and working as a management consultant in the US. Her research interests include transnational movements, power dynamics, resistance, and the impacts of colonialism, always incorporating themes of gender, race, and political economy. She has authored and contributed to numerous publications, including "Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine," "Time in the Shadows," and "Sinews of War and Trade," with ongoing projects on seafaring and the implications of oil and hydrocarbons post-nationalisation.