Cross Currents and Community Networks: The History of the Indian Ocean World
Editors: Edward A. Alpers (Professor and Chair of History, UCLA) and Himanshu Prabha Ray
Published: Thursday, January 22, 2009
This volume departs from conventional historiography on the Indian Ocean by focusing on the maritime and littoral communities that sailed the Ocean. Covering a huge time span--from the twelfth century to the modern period--it highlights the significant changes that resulted from colonial intervention, environmental degradation, and the emergence of transnational and trans-local communities. It raises the issue of perceptions of the sea and incorporates these into the present study by using a range of sources, such as maritime archaeology, ethnography, numismatics, and private papers. It shifts the focus from the European links of the Indian Ocean region to the Asian and African connections of maritime communities and emphasizes their contribution.
New directions in historical method of enquiry have introduced the study of origins, demography, family history, and public history. The essays in this volume discuss these new developments and their implications for the study of Indian Ocean societies. The contributors address the subject from a variety of disciplines and perspectives within the context of the Indian Ocean World.
