{"product_id":"the-indian-ocean-in-world-history-new-oxford-world-history","title":"The Indian Ocean in World History (New Oxford World History)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Indian Ocean remains the least studied of the worlds geographic regions. Yet there have been major cultural exchanges across its waters and around its shores from the third millennium B.C.E. to the present day. Historian Edward A. Alpers explores the complex issues involved in cultural exchange in the Indian Ocean Rim region over the course of this long period of time by combining a historical approach with the insights of anthropology  art history  ethnomusicology  and geography.  The Indian Ocean witnessed several significant diasporas during the past two millennia  including migrations of traders  indentured laborers  civil servants  sailors  and slaves throughout the entire basin. Persians and Arabs from the Gulf came to eastern Africa and Madagascar as traders and settlers  while Hadramis dispersed from south Yemen as traders and Muslim teachers to the Comoro Islands  Zanzibar  South India  and Indonesia. Southeast Asians migrated to Madagascar  and Chinese dispersed from Southeast Asia to the Mascarene Islands to South Africa.  Alpers also explores the cultural exchanges that diasporas cause  telling stories of identity and cultural transformation through language  popular religion  music  dance  art and architecture  and social organization. For example  architectural and decorative styles in eastern Africa  the Red Sea  the Hadramaut  the Persian Gulf  and western India reflect cultural interchanges in multiple directions. Similarly  the popular musical form of taarab in Zanzibar and coastal East Africa incorporates elements of Arab  Indian  and African musical traditions  while the characteristic frame drum (ravanne) of sga  the widespread Afro-Creole dance of the Mascarene and Seychelles Islands  probably owes its ultimate origins to Arabia by way of Mozambique.  The Indian Ocean in World History also discusses issues of trade and production that show the long history of exchange throughout the Indian Ocean world; politics and empire-building by both regional and European powers; and the role of religion and religious conversion  focusing mainly on Islam  but also mentioning Hinduism  Buddhism and Christianity. Using a broad geographic perspective  the book includes references to connections between the Indian Ocean world and the Americas. Moving into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries  Alpers looks at issues including the new configuration of colonial territorial boundaries after World War I  and the search for oil reserves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44983964565557,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195337875","price":30.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195337877.jpg?v=1770816358","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-indian-ocean-in-world-history-new-oxford-world-history","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}