ID - 34657200 TI - Trade and civilisation in the Indian Ocean PY - 1985 SN - 0521242266 0521285429 9780521242264 1316023508 1316022358 1107049911 9780521285421 9781107049918 PB - Cambridge Cambridge University Press DB - UniCat KW - Indian Ocean Region KW - Commerce KW - History KW - Civilization KW - History. KW - Civilization. KW - 339 <09> <267> KW - 339 <09> <267> Handelsgeschiedenis--Indische Oceaan KW - Handelsgeschiedenis--Indische Oceaan KW - Indian Ocean Rim countries KW - Indian Ocean Region - Commerce - History KW - Indian Ocean Region - Civilization KW - History of Asia KW - anno 800-1199 KW - anno 1200-1799 KW - Indian Ocean KW - Southeast Asia KW - South Asia KW - Arab Gulf States KW - East Africa UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:34657200 AB - Before the age of Industrial Revolution, the great Asian civilisations - whether located in the Middle East, India, South-East Asia, or the Far East - constituted areas not only of high culture but also of advanced economic development. They were the First World of human societies. This 1985 book examines one of the driving forces of that historical period: the long chain of oceanic trade which stretched from the South China Sea to the eastern Mediterranean. It also looks at the natural complement of the seaborne commerce, its counterpart in the caravan trade. Its main achievement is to show how socially determined demand derived from cultural habits and interpretations operated through the medium of market forces and relative prices. It points out the unique and limiting features of Asian commercial capitalism, and shows how the contribution of Asian merchants was valued universally, in reality if not legally and formally. Professor Chaudhuri's book, based on more than twenty years' research and reflection on pre-modern trade and civilisations, was a landmark in the analysis and interpretation of Asia's historical position and development. ER -