Tracing Globalization Through the Journey of a Versatile Barge

Container ships are typically utilitarian, massive metal platforms ferrying goods from one port to another. They often go unnoticed—until disaster strikes and their presence becomes impossible to ignore.

The onset of the pandemic five years ago exposed the fragility of global supply chains, as Americans struggled to obtain essential protective equipment like face masks. More recently, following the imposition of steep tariffs, including a 145 percent levy on Chinese goods, the whereabouts of container ships have captivated public attention. In recent weeks, live tracking maps of cargo vessels have circulated widely on social media, akin to weather alerts during a storm.

Ian Kumekawa, a historian at Harvard, explores this often overlooked physical dimension of globalization in his new book, "Empty Vessel." To illuminate the abstract mechanisms of the global economy, he centers his narrative on a tangible object: a steel barge weighing 9,500 deadweight tons. This vessel has served numerous roles over its lifetime—from housing oil rig workers as a floating hotel, to serving as barracks for British troops, and even functioning as a jail for inmates in New York City. Its defining trait, Kumekawa observes, is its "emptiness," allowing it to adapt to a variety of functions.

Despite its seemingly unremarkable nature—a "silent, personality-free pontoon," as Kumekawa puts it—the book offers a compelling account. Built in a Swedish shipyard in 1979 alongside a sister vessel, the barges were completed too late to serve their intended purpose of carrying container cargo. By then, industrial decline had set in across Western nations like Sweden and the United States, with shipping capacity surpassing demand in the early 1970s. The subsequent oil crisis further accelerated this shift, encapsulated by the familiar lament, "We used to make things here."

Kumekawa offers a unique "barge’s-eye view" of the transformations witnessed over the decades, portraying the vessel as a passive but vital participant in a world undergoing rapid change. "Empty Vessel" joins a growing body of literature examining the evolving nature of globalization, focusing on themes like wealth offshoring and challenges to national sovereignty. While concepts such as "financialization" and "deregulation" dominate these discussions, Kumekawa emphasizes that such abstractions rest on concrete physical assets, often intertwined with the use of force. His work serves as a guide to understanding how major global shifts are rooted in tangible realities.