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This book explains how a diverse Indian Ocean international system arose and endured during Europe's crucial opening stages of imperial expansion.
List of contents
Introduction; 1. The puzzle of durable diversity in international relations; 2. The initial growth of diversity, 1500-1600; 3. The expansion of diversity and competition under heteronomy, 1600-50; 4. The stabilization of diversity, 1600-1750; 5. Reconfiguring diversity in the age of empire, 1750-1900; Conclusion: order in diversity.
About the author
was born in Southampton in 1954, and so I was there when the rise of pop music was taking place in the 1960's, led by The Beatles. I have been a life-long Beatles fan since January 1963, and an avid collector of Beatles memorabilia. I developed a soft spot for The Applejacks in 1964, and since the late 1990's I have also been collecting Applejacks memorabilia. I am also generally interested in many genres of music, and this has resulted in the culmination of a large record/CD collection. My working life was technically based. I attended Sheffield University, graduating with an honours degree in Physics in 1975, and then I obtained a Ph.D in High Energy Physics. I had 40 years in industry, as a nuclear safety consultant, before retiring in 2019. I am now enjoying doing the things that my hectic working life didn't always give enough time for. The writing of this book, telling the story of The Applejacks, fulfils one of my retirement ambitions.I live in Sutton, Surrey with my fiancée Xuejun (Luoluo).
Summary
International relations scholars typically expect political communities to resemble one another the more they interact. This book examines how Portuguese explorers, rapacious Dutch and English trading companies, and mighty Islamic empires like the Mughals all interacted and co-existed in the Indian Ocean during the first phases of European global expansion.
