The author uses vivid examples from his extensive archival research. . . . While the book centers upon the heyday of political economy debates of the 18th century, Karras keeps modern readers amused with contemporary examples, establishing the relationship between civil society and commerce. Recommended.
CHOICE
Karras convincingly, and wryly, argues that this wink and nod dynamic has ... Read morebeen essential to the survival of the state, siphoning off the sort of public rage over unfair trade that stokes revolutions. Karras also addresses the far more heinous trafficking of people and illegal drugs and refutes the entire endeavor by reminding us that taxes pay for necessary government services.
Booklist
Karras discusses the intimate connection between smuggling and the corruption of local officials, which, while strictly illegal, sometimes eased the life of local residents.
Foreign Affairs
A welcome addition to the literature on smuggling. . . . [Karras] develops important arguments about the nature and causes of smuggling.
Journal of World History
Karras selects specific cases that illustrate 'a larger pattern that is observable across both time and space' (viii) and reinforce his arguments. They demonstrate the amount of culling through primary resources he’s done to assemble this evidence. Also of noteworthy mention is how he shows the lack of correlation between implementing laws against smuggling and how these are interpreted. . . . The book provides an important examination of the global similarities of smuggling and the parallels between modern-day smugglers and those of the past.
Pirates and Privateers
Karras clearly knows the sources on Atlantic history like the back of his hand; the British archives . . . are gloriously represented. . . . Karras’ case studies . . . are rich . . . , providing 'local color' as well as explaining some of the modalities of contrabanding and the importance of smuggling in larger political-economy frameworks. . . . Recommended to anyone who wishes to learn about smuggling and its many global contexts.
Journal of Interdisciplinary History
A brief but ambitious and engaging book on the role of smuggling in the modern world. . . . Well versed in the literature, Karras clearly conveys the historical, economic, political, social, and ethical issues involved in a study of smuggling. . . . Without a doubt, his book lays the groundwork for such an important enterprise and it invites classroom discussion of issues of evidence, methodology, and interpretation.
World History Bulletin
Comparative analysis is one of the sharpest tools in the global historian's tool belt, and Karras wields it well. . . . He has given much thought to the ways disparate peoples were comparable, and why. He even manages to find legitimate similarities between smugglers' opposition to legal enforcement mechanisms across space and time. Such comparative analysis helps us get at quintessential and continuous characteristics associated with smuggling. Those interested in social, political, legal, and economic histories will find this book stimulating. . . . Smuggling demonstrates the potential in global history in general, and transnational comparative studies in particular.
Journal of Social History
This book is part of a broader Exploring World History series edited by John McNeill and the late Jerry Bentley that seeks to provide supplemental texts to internationalize the undergraduate classroom through either thematic world history syntheses or books that adopt a transnational approach to understanding a particular region of the world. Smuggling does a bit of both. Karras focuses specifically on smuggling in the Caribbean and China in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but does so by placing these regional treatments of smuggling into a global perspective. He does so through five concise chapters and a conclusion.
World History Connected
This study is empirically rich.
The Historian
This superb book approaches its topic from a new perspective, exploring the cultural meaning and political impact of smuggling in many parts of the world. Through richly textured archival sources and fascinating visual materials, Alan Karras makes clear that men and women from all social levels participated in and benefited from smuggling. His analysis transforms smuggling from a peripheral economic activity to a central means through which individuals and communities shaped the development of the modern state. Essential for readers seeking a more nuanced view of the real global economy.
Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee In this original and fascinating book, Alan Karras argues convincingly that smugglers were not the bandits of popular imagination but deserve a prominent place in world historical narratives. Karras's fresh treatment of the subject combines analytical insights and rich historical case studies. The approach showcases Karras's expertise in migration, trade, and social networks of the Atlantic world.
Lauren Benton, New York University Show Less