K. N. Chaudhuri

"First published 1978"--T.p. verso. Includes bibliographical references and index.

1660-1760

The Trading World of Asia and the English East India Company

Chaudhuri K. N.

Before the age of Industrial Revolution, the great Asian civilisations - whether located in the Middle East, India, South-East Asia, or the Far East - constituted areas not only of high culture but also of advanced economic development. They were the First World of human societies. This book examines one of the driving forces of that historical period: the long chain of oceanic trade which stretched from the South China Sea to the eastern Mediterranean, passing through a series of rich urban emporia. It also looks at the natural complement of the seaborne commerce, its counterpart in the caravan trade. In analytical terms, the book emphasises the methods of multi-dimensional history by highlighting the intricate relationship between space, time and structure. Its main achievement is to show how socially determined demand derived from cultural habits and interpretations operated through the medium of market forces and relative prices. It points out, for the first time, the unique and limiting features of Asian commercial capitalism, and shows how the contribution of Asian merchants was valued universally, in reality if not legally and formally. Professor Chaudhuri's book, based on more than twenty years' research and reflection on pre-modern trade and civilisations, is a landmark in the analysis and interpretation of Asia's historical position and development.

An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750

Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean

Federico García Lorca

Bodas de Sangre

Times Books (Firm)

A region-by-region look at the progress of world exploration recreates the process of discovery by illustrating successive visions of the world over the centuries--from 1200 B.C. to the mapping of Antarctica in 1970.

3,000 Years of Exploring, Explorers, and Mapmaking

The Times Atlas of World Exploration

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Study of an Early Joint-stock Company 1600-1640

The English East India Company

This book explores the dynamic interaction between economic life, society and civilisation in the regions around and beyond the Indian Ocean during the period from the rise of Islam to 1750. Within a distinctive theory of comparative history, Professor Chaudhuri analyses how the identity of different Asian civilisations was established. He examines the structural features of food habits, clothing, architectural styles and housing; the different modes of economic production; and the role of crop raising, pastoral nomadism, and industrial activities for the main regions of the Indian Ocean. In an original and perceptive conclusion, the author demonstrates how Indian Ocean societies were united or separated from one another by a conscious cultural and linguistic identity. However, there was a deeper structure of unities created by a common ecology, technology, technology of economic production, traditions of government, theory of political obligations and rights, and a shared historical experience. His theory enables the author to show that the real Indian Ocean was an area that extended historically from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to the sea which lies beyond Japan.

K. N. Chaudhuri

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