© Columbia University Press
Dhow Cultures and the Indian Ocean: Cosmopolitanism, Commerce, and Islam
September, 2010
Cloth, 384 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-70139-6
$50.00
"A must for those interested in ocean trade and its importance for the spread of cultures, migrants, and religions, and that trade's impacts on and transformations of the economic systems and cultures of Indian Ocean countries by seaborne commerce." — CHOICE
"I highly recommend Dhow Cultures and the Indian Ocean, especially as it applies to global instability today, no doubt in part shaped by the experience of the Indian Ocean." — John Nunley, H-AfrArts
"Abdul Sheriff is widely acknowledged to be the great authority on dhows and their role in the Indian Ocean. This book has been long awaited and fully meets our expectations. It is a work of impeccable scholarship and erudition and is a fascinating account of the Indian Ocean and the role of the dhow in creating the ties that arguably made this an 'integrated world.'" — Michael Pearson, The University of Technology, Sydney
"Dhow Cultures and the Indian Ocean is the best history to date of the Western Indian Ocean and its network of international relations and exchange of commodities, ideas, technology, and people. A consummate historian and writer, Abdul Sheriff succeeds wonderfully in rendering a complex history comprehensible. An extremely valuable work for all interested in maritime, global, and African history." — Gwyn Campbell, Indian Ocean World Center, McGill University
"Dhow Cultures and the Indian Ocean is that rare global history which is also a satisfyingly thick social history firmly anchored to a sense of place. Abdul Sheriff takes us from the cyclical monsoons and the shuttling dhows, through trade, slavery, and intermarriage, to the historical creation of truly cosmopolitan societies in East Africa, Arabia, and India." — Engseng Ho, Duke University