Indian Ocean Studies: Cultural, Social, and Political Perspectives (Routledge Indian Ocean Series)

The Indian Ocean is famously referred to as the "cradle of globalization," as it facilitated cultural and economic exchanges between Africa, the Arab world, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and China, for 5000 years prior to European presence in the region. As this ocean's significance has gained increasing attention from scholars in recent years, few have examined the 'human' dimensions in Indian Ocean exchanges. Including the work of historians, geographers, anthropologists and literary analysts, each essay in this volume addresses a specific human factor, such as the fate of the creole in the Bay of Bengal, creolization as a globalized phenomenon, migrancy and diaspora, the lives of seafarers then and now, and the lives of those who inhabit the ocean's littoral. This volume is a necessary addition to the field of Indian Ocean studies. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Contents......Page 8 Figures......Page 12 Preface......Page 16 1 Introduction: New Conjunctures in Maritime Imaginaries......Page 20 2 Fabulation: Flying Carpets and Artful Politics in the Indian Ocean......Page 51 3 The Indian Ocean and the Making of Outback Australia: An Ecocultural Odyssey......Page 64 4 Abdulrazak Gurnah and Littoral Cosmopolitanism......Page 92 5 Destined to Disappear Without a Trace: Gender and the Languages of Creolisation in the Indian Ocean, Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean......Page 122 6 Commerce, Circulation, and Consumption: Indian Ocean Communities in Historical Perspective......Page 155 7 Shared Hopes, New Worlds: Indians, Australians, and Indonesians in the Boycott of Dutch Shipping, 1945–1949......Page 177 8 “Signs of Wonder”: The Postmortem Travels of Francis Xavier in the Indian Ocean World......Page 216 9 Kuo Pao Kun’s Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral and the Myth of Modern Singapore......Page 248 10 “That Great Ocean of Idealism”: Calcutta, the Tagore Circle, and the Idea of Asia, 1900–1920......Page 270 11 “Is It the Same Sea As Back Home?”: Transformative Complicities As Travelling Tropes in Fictions from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and South Africa......Page 299 12 Making Home on the Indian Ocean Rim: Relocations in South African Literatures......Page 317 13 A Travelling Science: Anthropometry and Colonialism in the Indian Ocean......Page 337 14 Whiteness in Golden Goa: Linschoten on Phenotype......Page 358 15 Power and Beliefs in Reunion Island......Page 379 16 Through Magical Flowers: Tourism and Creole Self-fashioning in La Reunion......Page 393 17 Black Bag......Page 416 18 Telling and Selling on the Indian Ocean Rim......Page 422 19 Post-Orientalism......Page 437 Contributors......Page 440 Index......Page 446 Introduction: New conjunctures in maritime imaginaries / Shanti Moorthy and Ashraf Jamal -- Fabulation : flying carpets and artful politics in the Indian Ocean / Stephen Muecke -- The Indian Ocean and the making of outback Australia : an ecocultural odyssey / Haripriya Rangan and Christian Kull -- Contesting history : have we ever been cosmopolitan? / Shanti Moorthy -- Destined to disappear without a trace : gender and the languages of creolisation in the Indian Ocean, Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean / Fernando Rosa Ribeiro -- Commerce, circulation, and consumption : Indian Ocean communities in historical perspective / Lakshmi Subramanian -- Shared hopes, new worlds : Indians, Australians & Indonesians in the boycott of Dutch shipping, 1945-1949 / Heather Goodall -- "Signs of wonder" : the postmortem travels of Francis Xavier in the Indian Ocean world / Pamila Gupta -- Kuo Pao Kun's descendants of the eunuch admiral and the myth of modern Singapore / Susan Philip -- "The great ocean of idealism" : Calcutta, the Tagore circle, and the idea of Asia, 1900-1920 / Mark Ravinder Frost -- "Is it the same sea as back home"? : transformative complicities as traveling tropes in fictions from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and South Africa / Miki Flockemann -- Making home on the Indian Ocean rim : re-locations in South African literatures / Meg Samuelson -- A traveling science : anthropometry and colonialism in the Indian Ocean / Rochelle Pinto -- Whiteness in golden Goa : Linschoten on phenotype / Arun Saldanha -- Power and beliefs in Reunion Island / Christian Ghasarian -- Through magical flowers : tourism and Creole self-fashioning in La Reunion / David Picard -- Black bag / Ashraf Jamal -- Telling and selling on the Indian Ocean rim / Ashraf Jamal -- Post-orientalism / Stephen Muecke Book Cover 1 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Figures 12 Preface 16 1 Introduction: New Conjunctures in Maritime Imaginaries 20 2 Fabulation: Flying Carpets and Artful Politics in the Indian Ocean 51 3 The Indian Ocean and the Making of Outback Australia: An Ecocultural Odyssey 64 4 Abdulrazak Gurnah and Littoral Cosmopolitanism 92 5 Destined to Disappear Without a Trace: Gender and the Languages of Creolisation in the Indian Ocean, Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean 122 6 Commerce, Circulation, and Consumption: Indian Ocean Communities in Historical Perspective 155 7 Shared Hopes, New Worlds: Indians, Australians, and Indonesians in the Boycott of Dutch Shipping, 1945–1949 177 8 “Signs of Wonder”: The Postmortem Travels of Francis Xavier in the Indian Ocean World 216 9 Kuo Pao Kun’s Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral and the Myth of Modern Singapore 248 10 “That Great Ocean of Idealism”: Calcutta, the Tagore Circle, and the Idea of Asia, 1900–1920 270 11 “Is It the Same Sea As Back Home?”: Transformative Complicities As Travelling Tropes in Fictions from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and South Africa 299 12 Making Home on the Indian Ocean Rim: Relocations in South African Literatures 317 13 A Travelling Science: Anthropometry and Colonialism in the Indian Ocean 337 14 Whiteness in Golden Goa: Linschoten on Phenotype 358 15 Power and Beliefs in Reunion Island 379 16 Through Magical Flowers: Tourism and Creole Self-fashioning in La Reunion 393 17 Black Bag 416 18 Telling and Selling on the Indian Ocean Rim 422 19 Post-Orientalism 437 Contributors 440 Index 446 Biogeography Famously referred to as the "cradle of globalization," the Indian Ocean has received increasing attention from scholars. However, few have examined the 'human' dimensions of the ocean. In this volume, historians, geographers, anthropologists and literary analysts each address a specific human factor in Indian Ocean exchanges