Dhow culture of the Indian Ocean : cosmopolitanism, commerce, and Islam /Abdul Sheriff.

The wooden dhow, with its characteristic lateen sail, is an appropriate icon for the early trading world of the Indian Ocean. It was based on free trade unhindered by monopolies or superpower domination and pre-dated 'globalisation' by thousands of years. It carried a motley crew of sailors, traders and passengers, and many commodities, but the dhow was not merely an inanimate transporter of goods and people, but an animated means of social interaction. The dhow was at the mercy of the seasonal monsoons, but mercifully this very fact multiplied opportunities for social interaction between the sailors and traders with their hosts around the rim of the Indian Ocean, giving birth to cosmopolitan populations and cultures. The dhow was thus a vehicle for a genuine dialog between civilizations. This sweeping and vividly written popular history of the dhow cultures contains dozens of color illustrations and many maps and is set to become the benchmark history of the early Indian Ocean.

Record Details

Publisher: Hurst,
Pub Date: 2010.
Pages: xv, 351 p. :

Holdings

Order
Call Number
629.123.19(267)
Copy
1
Item ID
PBH5597
Material
BOOK
Location
Onsite storage - please ORDER to view