The Persian Gulf in Modern Times : People, Ports, and History

This book explores the historiography, ports, and peoples of the Persian Gulf over the past two centuries, offering a more inclusive history of the region than previously available. Restoring the history of minority communities which until now have been silenced, the book provides a corrective to the 'official story' put forward by modern states. This book explores the historiography, ports, and peoples of the Persian Gulf over the past two centuries. The authors seek to clarify how the historical Gulf is different from that of the modern day, and offers a more inclusive history of the region than previously available. The volume takes a fresh approach that examines the region from the viewpoint of local historians combined with important original research. By restoring the history of minority communities which until now have been silenced, it provides a corrective to the "official story" put forward by modern states. It is a major contribution to the history of the region, and follows up the previous groundbreaking Palgrave Macmillan volume, also edited by Lawrence G. Potter, The Persian Gulf in History "Much of the historiography of the modern Gulf deals exclusively with either Iran or the region's Arab states, which helps to underscore the notion that this narrow stretch of water is a natural divide between the Persian and the Arab worlds. This book demonstrates that - prior to the establishment of modern borders - the Gulf ports benefited from unfettered interaction between both shores as well as their lively participation in the trade of the entire Indian Ocean. The voices of historians from the Gulf region demonstrate the ways in which migrants from the Arabian hinterland or the mountains of Baluchistan, enslaved and free people from Africa or the Ottoman Empire or sailors from Asia, all contributed to a particular way of life and a common Gulf culture. By breaking moulds, this book opens up enticing leads for further detailed research and a less divisive understanding of the history of the past two centuries of the Gulf." - Frauke Heard-Bey, PhD, historian, author of From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates 'Amid the recent proliferation of literature on the on the region, The Persian Gulf in Modern Times: People, Ports and History stands out for the depth of its scholarship and breadth of its coverage. The contributions to this book present new and original interpretations on the historiography of the Persian Gulf, trace the emergence of its port cities, and explore the appearance and growth of diverse communities of Indians, Baluchis, the Hawala, and Africans in Iran, the littoral states, and Eastern Arabia. For anyone interested in a more thorough and in-depth understanding of the Persian Gulf, this book is an essential read.' - Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University, Qatar Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-20 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 Rethinking the History of Port Cities in the Gulf....Pages 23-46 Narrative and the Historian’s Craft in the Arabic Historiography of the Gulf....Pages 47-72 The Historiography of the Persian Gulf: A Survey of the Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Persian Sources....Pages 73-102 Narrating the Gulf: Literary Evidence for History....Pages 103-127 Front Matter....Pages 129-129 The Rise and Fall of Port Cities in the Persian Gulf....Pages 131-152 Muscat as a Port City....Pages 153-172 Bushehr: Southern Gateway to Iran....Pages 173-197 Inside a Gulf Port: The Dynamics of Urban Life in Pre-Oil Kuwait....Pages 199-228 Front Matter....Pages 229-229 Indian Communities in the Persian Gulf, c. 1500–1947....Pages 231-266 The Baloch as an Ethnic Group in the Persian Gulf Region....Pages 267-297 “Purity and Confusion”: The Hawala between Persians and Arabs in the Contemporary Gulf....Pages 299-326 The African Presence in Eastern Arabia....Pages 327-350 Identity Transformations of African Communities in Iran....Pages 351-376 Back Matter....Pages 377-393 Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART I The Historiography of the Persian Gulf -- CHAPTER 1 Rethinking the History of Port Cities in the Gulf -- CHAPTER 2 Narrative and the Historian's Craft in the Arabic Historiography of the Gulf -- CHAPTER 3 The Historiography of the Persian Gulf: -- CHAPTER 4 Narrating the Gulf: Literary Evidence for History -- PART II Port Cities and Littoral Society -- CHAPTER 5 The Rise and Fall of Port Cities in the Persian Gulf* -- CHAPTER 6 Muscat as a Port City -- CHAPTER 7 Bushehr: Southern Gateway to Iran -- CHAPTER 8 Inside a Gulf Port: The Dynamics of Urban Life in Pre-Oil Kuwait -- PART III Peoples of the Gulf -- CHAPTER 9 Indian Communities in the Persian Gulf, c. 1500-1947 -- CHAPTER 10 The Baloch as an Ethnic Group in the Persian Gulf Region -- CHAPTER 11 "Purity and Confusion": The Hawala between Persians and Arabs in the Contemporary Gulf -- CHAPTER 12 The African Presence in Eastern Arabia -- CHAPTER 13 Identity Transformations of African Communities in Iran -- Contributors -- Index Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 0 List of Illustrations 0 Acknowledgments 0 Introduction 0 PART I The Historiography of the Persian Gulf 0 CHAPTER 1 Rethinking the History of Port Cities in the Gulf 0 CHAPTER 2 Narrative and the Historian’s Craft in the Arabic Historiography of the Gulf 0 CHAPTER 3 The Historiography of the Persian Gulf: 0 CHAPTER 4 Narrating the Gulf: Literary Evidence for History 0 PART II Port Cities and Littoral Society 0 CHAPTER 5 The Rise and Fall of Port Cities in the Persian Gulf* 0 CHAPTER 6 Muscat as a Port City 0 CHAPTER 7 Bushehr: Southern Gateway to Iran 0 CHAPTER 8 Inside a Gulf Port: The Dynamics of Urban Life in Pre-Oil Kuwait 0 PART III Peoples of the Gulf 0 CHAPTER 9 Indian Communities in the Persian Gulf, c. 1500–1947 0 CHAPTER 10 The Baloch as an Ethnic Group in the Persian Gulf Region 0 CHAPTER 11 “Purity and Confusion”: The Hawala between Persians and Arabs in the Contemporary Gulf 0 CHAPTER 12 The African Presence in Eastern Arabia 0 CHAPTER 13 Identity Transformations of African Communities in Iran 0 Contributors 383 Index 389 This book explores the historiography, ports, and peoples of the Persian Gulf over the past two centuries. The authors seek to clarify how the historical Gulf is different from that of the modern day, and offer a more inclusive history of the region than previously available. The volume takes a fresh approach that examines the region from the viewpoint of local historians combined with important original research. By restoring the history of minority communities that until now have been silenced, it provides a corrective to the "official story" put forward by modern states. It is a major contribution to the history of the region, and follows up the previous groundbreaking Palgrave Macmillan volume, also edited by Lawrence G. Potter, The Persian Gulf in History