REview of 'Ocean of Trade: South Asian Merchants, Africa and the Indian Ocean, c1750-1850 (original) (raw)
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Between 300 BCE and 1800 CE, Indian Ocean commerce was managed by traders who bridged exchange networks across the edges and peripheries of empires and interaction spheres through trader alliance networks (TAN). Using Network Theory, we hypothesize that TAN were characterized by high Triadic Closure and relatively little political influence between 300 BCE-1400 CE, and shifted to Brokerage and high political influence after 1400 CE. These shifts and their impacts are tested through archaeological data from the Indian Ocean ports of Chaul, India, and Mtwapa, Kenya. These shifts enable understanding the emergence and impact of trader lobbies, pressure groups, and 'Great Firms' as global power brokers, and the rise of Predatory Commerce after 1600 CE that continues to this date. maritime trade; commerce; Indian Ocean; closure; brokerage; Trader Alliance Networks (TAN) Zwischen 300 v. Chr. und 1800 n. Chr. betrieben den Handel im Indischen Ozean Händler, die über die Händlerallianznetzwerke (TAN) den Austausch über die Ränder und Peripherien von Imperien ermöglichten. Unter Verwendung der Netzwerktheorie gehen wir davon aus, dass TAN durch eine hohe Triade-Schließung und wenig politischen Einfluss zwischen 300 v. Chr. und 1400 n. Chr. gekennzeichnet waren, und nach 1400 n. Chr. zu Brokerage und hohem politischem Einfluss verschoben wurden. Diese Verschiebungen und ihre Auswirkungen werden durch archäologische Daten aus zwei Häfen des Indischen Ozeans getestet. Diese Veränderungen machen die Entstehung und den Einfluss von Händler-Lobbys, Interessengruppen und ‚Great Firms' als globale Machtvermittler verständlich und den Aufstieg von Predatory Commerce nach 1600 CE, der bis heute andauert.
This review essay delves into three major works on maritime history, especially of-but not merely limited to-the Indian Ocean. Two of the three works relate to new kinds of primary source materials, viz. inscriptions (1st to 5th centuries CE) in Hoq cave in the island of Socotra in the western Indian Ocean and about 450 letters of Jewish 'India Traders' (c. 1000-1300 CE). The two sources have immensely lit up the pre-1500 CE Indian Ocean scenario and therefore, demand sustained attention and close scrutiny of maritime historians. The third work, an edited volume emerging out of an important conference, deals primarily with the port-cities which are mostly seen from the point of view of the network theory and understanding of space. The third work does not limit itself to any particular temporal and spatial frame. The review essay weaves several other important themes and issues of maritime history, especially on the formation of ports, to highlight the possibilities of new openings and interventions in thalassography.
Fluid Networks and Hegemonic Powers in the Western Indian Ocean
The present volume sets forth to analyse illustrative aspects of the deep-rooted immersion of the populations of the eastern coasts of Africa in the vast network of commercial, cultural and religious interactions that extend to the Middle-East and the Indian subcontinent, as well as the long-time involvement of various exogenous military, administrative and economic powers (Ottoman, Omani, Portuguese, Dutch, British, French and, more recently, European-Americans). The present volume is the product of one of the main activities of this CRG: organizing AEGIS international thematic conferences on African in the Indian Ocean. The second such conference took place in Lisbon, at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, on April 10th April 2015, convened by the Centre of International Studies, and organized by Iain Walker (Max Plank Institute), Manuel João Ramos (CEI-IUL), and Preben Kaarsholm (Roskilde University). The chapters in this book are a selection of reviewed and revised contributions to that conference. The chapters are presented chronologically, from the 16th century to the present day, and are contextually paired (Eastern Africa and Madagascar, the Horn, and South Africa). This is certainly not a comprehensive and final book on the intertwining relationship between African participation in the regional trading and cultural networks of the Indian Ocean and the hegemonic presence of world powers in the area. Its purpose is rather to contribute, with a few meaningful exemplary case-studies, to assert the need for further and more inclusive investigation. It touches upon questions that have been independently addressed by different regional and inter-regional research networks (African studies, Gulf studies, Indian Ocean studies, Southwest Asian studies, etc.). The role of the Indian Ocean in global security, the increasing involvement of India and China in the economies of contemporary African states and the cultural links that bind eastern Africa to the Indian Ocean littoral are both intricate and temporally deep. The editors of this book hope that it may serve as a useful tool to bridge the different social sciences and regional studies areas, and create a clearer awareness of the deep-rooted, and evolving, ties between Africa and the Indian Ocean.
Transforming Cultures eJournal, 2009
This paper discusses the interpretation of sources for Indian Ocean history, from the point of view of translocal interpretations beyond the locality of the source. The article presents three cases, all deriving from the Muslim South-Western Indian Ocean. The argument is made that the ambiguity of the sources, and the interrelationship between the various locations related to the source, affect not only the historians interpretation but also the sense of the past held by people in these locations.
Commodity Flows, Diaspora Networking, and Contested Agency in the Eastern Indian Ocean c. 1000–1500
TRaNS: Trans -Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia
Recent revisionist approaches to early pre-1500 eastern Indian Ocean history draw from and cross-reference epigraphic, archaeological, art historical, literary, cultural, textual, shipwreck, and a variety of other primary and secondary sources as these document the evolution of Southeast Asia from roughly 300 to 1500, before significant European regional presence became a factor. This study's focus is the transitional importance of c. 1000–1500 Indian Ocean international maritime trade and transit from the South Asian shorelines of the Bay of Bengal to the South China and Java Seas, which is conceived to have temporarily produced an inclusive eastern Indian Ocean zone of contact. In this then ‘borderless’ region there were a variety of meaningful contacts and material, cultural, and knowledge transfers that resulted in synthesis of Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian cultures and populations made possible by enhanced international maritime trade connections befo...
The Ends of the Indian Ocean: Notes on Boundaries and Affinities Across Time
Smriti Srinivas, Bettina Ng’weno, and Neelima Jeychandran, eds. Reimagining Indian Ocean Worlds. New York: Routledge, 2020
The social worlds and littoral affinities of the Indian Ocean region have been amorphous, ever changing, and influenced by broader global currents. Indeed, the region has been defined by its elasticity and porosity. This mutability raises important questions about the spatial boundaries and perceptions of the Indian Ocean as a region: how have the effective boundaries of the region changed over time? How have interfaces with other world regions shaped Indian Ocean rela-tions? How have perceptions of Indian Ocean space changed in consequence of shifting interactions along and beyond regional shores? More precisely, how have these interfaces contributed to the idea of the Indian Ocean as an integrated whole? To address these questions this chapter traces transoceanic interfaces and changing cognitive maps over several centuries. Referencing Indian Ocean Africa, I consider the disintegrative as well as integrative forces that have defined the region since the early modern era. One conclusion we can draw from this history is that the Indian Ocean’s effective boundaries have been remarkably pliant. The region has incorporated other actors into its networks and external forces have played integral roles in shaping Indian Ocean societies. In this context of multidimensional linkage, boundaries of relation have shifted dramatically. To varying degrees, each point along the Indian Ocean’s rim has been integrated with a greater diversity of regional and global relations and the Indian Ocean basin has shaped an ever-increasing number of societies along other shores.
Cross currents and community networks : the history of the Indian Ocean world
Oxford University Press eBooks, 2007
Cross Currents and Community Networks is an important contribution to a growing literature on the Indian Ocean world. Edited by historians Himanshu Prabha Ray and Edward A. Alpers, it brings together leading figures to discuss the cultural landscape of the Indian Ocean world and the communities that crossed it. It takes a particular and ultimately rewarding approach, arguing that this unique maritime world cannot be defined simply by geography or environment, but rather through the complex relationship and interaction of both with maritime communities. Most especially, and following the pioneering work of Michael Pearson and Kenneth McPherson among others, it urges that we shift our gaze: not to look outward from land to sea, but from ocean to coast. It takes a twofold approach in this endeavour. The first half of the book focuses on maritime communities and littoral societies, and the second examines commercial transactions and currency systems. The scope of both sections is refreshingly broad, with respect to geography, community, and time. The first (communities and societies) incorporates overviews by Pearson and McPherson, followed by studies of colonial India (Ray), Paravas (pearl fishers) in South India/ Ceylon and Portuguese Jesuits (Mahesh Gopalan), Aceh in Indonesia (Anthony Reid), the Mozambique Channel (Alpers), Cape Town (Nigel Worden), and Oman and Zanzibar (Erik Gilbert). The overarching theme of this first set of chapters is, as McPherson suggests, the idea of maritime communities as 'nodal points where different cultures came into contact and were filters through which these cultures permeated into hinterlands … meeting points for a range of peoples, cultures, and ideas' (p. 39). The second half of the book (commerce and currency) examines monetary exchange (Najaf Haider), the circulation of the rupee (an especially richly illustrated piece by Shailendra Bhandare), non-metallic currencies (Sanjay Garg), merchant risk-sharing (Lakshmi Subramanian), and slavery and the slave trade (Gwyn Campbell).
Indian merchants abroad: Integrating the Indian ocean world during the early first millennium CE
Journal of Global History
With the rise of post-colonialism during the latter part of the twentieth century, more focus has been given to non-western perspectives (the so-called nativist turn). In the case of Indian Ocean trade during the early first millennium CE, the view that ‘Roman’ merchants and sailors were the near-exclusive movers of goods, who were also (indirectly) responsible for commercial developments within South Asia, has largely fallen into abeyance. Rightly, the agency of those in South Asia has been acknowledged. The present article goes beyond this basic premise and considers how we can assess evidence demonstrating the role played by sailors and merchants from South Asia. In particular, it is suggested these merchants and sailors played an important role in connecting the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal regions.