The Global World of Indian Merchants, 1750–1947: Traders of Sind from Bukhara to Panama

Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society

by Claude Markovits

Claude Markovits' book charts the development of two merchant communities in the province of Sind from the precolonial period, through colonial conquest and up to indepedence. Based on previously neglected archival sources, it describes how the communities came to control trading networks throughout the world, throwing light on the nature of these diasporas from South Asia in their interaction with the global economy. This is a sophisticated and accessible book that will appeal to students of South Asia, as well as to colonial historians and economic historians.

Genres: History

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mochi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Markovits examines the global "circulation" of two groups of Sindi merchants--those from Hyderabad and those from Shikarpur. These communities offer two different visions of mercantile history. Whereas the Sindiworkies from Hyderabad travelled overseas to establish silk and curio shops across the colonial world, Shikapuris focused on trade and credit networks to Central Asia. Contra world systems theory, Markovits shows how these merchants thrived during the age of global capitalism, and established Shikarpur and Hyderabad as global economic centers. He argues that locality, rather than caste or ethnicity, created social cohesion and trust among merchants.
Markovits also expands beyond typical merchant histories to consider women, gender, and sexuality as central to the histories of Sindi communities.

[TimEs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Markovits' work excels as an economic history but not as a cultural history. According to Markovits, the category of diaspora does not apply to most South Asians who leave their homeland. To him, a diaspora involves a "long-term physical separation from an imaginary or real homeland" while the South Asian experience consisted of "circulation" rather than "emigration." Thus, he claims that the South Asian diasporic community is rather a South Asian merchant network. When I first heard this, I had to reread it. His insistence on permanence which sets a bar through which creolization is hardly achievable. Yet we see "creolized" communities which emerged through merchant activities that are completely disregarded by his emphasis on points of departure.

[Nirmal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claude Markovits has written a very well researched book. He has referred/studied all the sources and some of these sources are very difficult to know or locate. Because of his deep and extensive learning the book is not only an economic history or business related book.
The book is also useful for any lay readers interested in Sindh or sindhis. I feel tempted to call him modern day Burton providing a survey of sindh. In fact he might be more precise and insightful in many of his observations.
God bless Claude Markovits for bringing out this gem of a book to us. Thank you sir.