Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean: An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750 - Softcover

Chaudhuri, K. N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521285429 ISBN 13: 9780521285421

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1985

Synopsis

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 1985 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. It also looks at the natural complement of the seaborne commerce, its counterpart in the caravan trade. 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 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, was a landmark in the analysis and interpretation of Asia's historical position and development.

About this title

Book Description

An analysis of the long chain of oceanic trade, from the South China Sea to the eastern Mediterranean, which dominated seaborne commerce for many centuries up to the Industrial Revolution, reveals the unique features of Asian commercial capitalism as well as the contributions of Asian merchants worldwide.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521285429
• ISBN 13: 9780521285421
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 284