Sugar and the Indian Ocean World - Trade and Consumption in the Eighteenth-Century Persian Gulf

Tracing the history of the sugar trade and its consumption in the Persian Gulf during the 18th century, this book explores the interplay of social, economic and political interests created by this popular commodity. The study of sugar has, until now, focused mainly on its significant growth in European markets from the mid-17th century and, more recently, parallel developments in East Asia. In this book, Daito how the sugar trade also developed in, and became important to, the Indian Ocean World. Studying how the consumption of sugar wavered after the brutal overthrow of the Safavid dynasty in 1722, this book shows how the Dutch East India Company and the trading network responded to political upheavals in the region and, consequently, the changing trading conditions. Arguing that sugar continued to be imported and consumed despite these political disturbances, Sugar and the Indian Ocean World proves this was not a period of economic stagnation for the region, and shows how sugar became an important intersection between socio-cultural practices and the Indian Ocean economy.>

List of contents

Introduction
1. The Sugar Consumption market
2. Sugar Trade in the Persian Gulf: the VOC
3. Sugar Trade in the Persian Gulf: the VOC's competitors
4. Alternative Sugar Hubs: Basra, Bushire and Kharg
5. Company Brokers
6. The Commercial Middle Ground
Conclusion

About the author

Norifumi Daito is Assistant Professor at the Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo, Japan. He received his PhD in History from Leiden University, Netherlands, in 2017.

Product details

• Authors: Norifumi Daito
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.05.2024
• EAN: 9781350399211
• ISBN: 978-1-350-39921-1
• No. of pages: 248
• Dimensions: 162 mm x 238 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Business > General, dictionaries; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, HISTORY / Middle East / General, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Economic history, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Food & society, Middle Eastern history, Indian Ocean, Cultural studies: food and society, C 1700 To C 1800, Persian Gulf