Date / time
27/05/2025
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Virtual Lecture
Please Register your place here
We’re pleased to invite you to an upcoming lecture with Professor Matthew Taylor Raffety, a distinguished historian of American and Atlantic history, with a focus on maritime law, diplomacy, and legal history.
In this thought-provoking session, Professor Raffety explores the legal, moral, and financial complexities surrounding the payment of ransoms to marine pirates. He challenges the enduring English legal perspective that views piracy as apolitical “sea robbery,” and warns of the real-world risks this poses—particularly in the context of modern anti-terrorism legislation.
The lecture will address:
- The historical basis for legal ransom payments
- Legal grey areas insurers and negotiators face today
- How ideological motivations by pirates may trigger anti-terror laws
- The need for updated legislation and use of self-insuring P&I Clubs
About the Speaker:
Matthew Taylor Raffety is Professor of History at the University of Redlands, California. He holds a PhD from Columbia University and a law degree from Cambridge University, and is a student member of Gray’s Inn. His research spans legal, gender, and maritime history, with current projects including The Republic Afloat (University of Chicago Press) and a study of the illegal slave trade through Havana in the 1830s.
Don’t miss what promises to be a fascinating and timely discussion on piracy, law, and the complex realities of ransom in the 21st century.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Please Register your place here