Asia Before Europe: Economy and Civilisation of the Indian Ocean from the Rise of Islam to 1750This 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. |
Contents
unities of discourse | 19 |
structural integration | 42 |
Dome of the Rock Jerusalem | 52 |
Buddhist temple and stupa Pagnam pagoda Bangkok river | 60 |
structural relationships and contra | 71 |
The Great Turtle coming to rescue the shipwrecked people frieze | 74 |
theories of subsistence and exchange as ideal types 79 Some histori | 81 |
Agricultural production and the market 86 Longdistance trade closed | 90 |
clothing the architecture of symbolic power | 182 |
Asaf Khan unknown artist early seventeenth century | 192 |
The projecting wooden lattice in the window of a Cairo mansion | 205 |
the structure of rural production | 218 |
nomads and nomadism | 263 |
Nomads states and society 265 The historical role of nomads 269 The nomadic con | 270 |
Animaltending | 277 |
the structure of industrial | 296 |
Sun dial from the alAzahar mosque Cairo Egypt | 95 |
Ottoman cannon cast for the Egyptian campaign of 151617 | 103 |
The structure of space and society | 112 |
Stepwell or baoli near Broach Gujarat India | 136 |
food and drink | 151 |
Blind pilgrim obtaining food at the dargah of Muin alDin Chisti | 153 |
The preparation of a Central Asian nomadic banquet drawing | 167 |
Servant collecting bread from a bakery in an Islamic town | 175 |
Historical dimensions of towns and cities | 338 |
Conclusion | 375 |
Notes | 388 |
X | 402 |
Glossary of theoretical terms | 423 |
435 | |
465 | |
Other editions - View all
Asia Before Europe: Economy and Civilisation of the Indian Ocean from the ... K. N. Chaudhuri No preview available - 1990 |
Common terms and phrases
agricultural animals appeared Arab areas Asia Asian bread building camels capital cattle Central century changes China Chinese civilisation clothing collective common concept construction continued cooked cotton course created crops cultivation distinction early economic elements Emperor empire European example existed expressed farmers farming followed force function groups habits hand historians historical horses houses human identity imperial important India Indian Ocean industrial irrigation Islamic kind land limits living logic materials meaning meat mental merchants Middle East Mughal Muslim needed nomadic northern objects pattern period Persian Plate political population possible practices present principle problem production raised reason regions relations religious remained rice rural seen separate settled silk social society sources space structure supply symbolic textile theory towns trade tradition Travels urban village whole