HI 290 Spices, Silks, and Oil
This class will examine the history of commerce and industry in the Middle East and South Asia from the early modern period to the present (since 1500). Beginning with the study of pre-modern trading systems of the Indian Ocean and Silk Roads, it addresses economic life and law in the Islamic tradition. It builds on this by studying the emergence of European joint-stock companies and their relationship to the rise of European empires in India and the Middle East, before moving on to the transformations brought by Europe’s Industrial Revolution on the region. It concludes with a unit on the modern period, examining the complex political impacts of the oil industry, the place of the Middle East in the world economy, the rapid growth of India’s economy, the military-business complex in Iran and Egypt, and the growth of Sharia-compliant finance. The course will focus on the intersection of business and political power in trade, banking, manufacturing, and energy. Close attention will be given to commodities including silk, spices, coffee, textiles, opium, and oil.