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Monsoon Islam: trade and faith on the medieval Malabar Coast

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Cambridge oceanic historiesPublication details: Cambridge University Press 2018 CambridgeDescription: xvi, 344 p. Includes bibliographical references and indexISBN:
  • 9781108438148
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 297.095483 P7M6
Summary: Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, a distinct form of Islamic thought and practice developed among Muslim trading communities of the Indian Ocean. Sebastian R. Prange argues that this 'Monsoon Islam' was shaped by merchants not sultans, forged by commercial imperatives rather than in battle, and defined by the reality of Muslims living within non-Muslim societies. Focusing on India's Malabar Coast, the much-fabled 'land of pepper', Prange provides a case study of how Monsoon Islam developed in response to concrete economic, socio-religious, and political challenges. Because communities of Muslim merchants across the Indian Ocean were part of shared commercial, scholarly, and political networks, developments on the Malabar Coast illustrate a broader, trans-oceanic history of the evolution of Islam across monsoon Asia. This history is told through four spaces that are examined in their physical manifestations as well as symbolic meanings: the Port, the Mosque, the Palace, and the Sea. Introduces the concept of 'monsoon Islam' that helps reveal a distinct trajectory of Indian Ocean history. Provides a richly documented case study of the development of Islam on the Malabar Coast. Tells the story of Islam from the perspective of ordinary Muslim merchants rather than political or religious elites. https://www.cambridge.org/in/academic/subjects/history/south-asian-history/monsoon-islam-trade-and-faith-medieval-malabar-coast?format=HB&isbn=9781108424387
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Item type Current library Item location Collection Shelving location Call number Status Date due Barcode
Books Vikram Sarabhai Library Rack 7-B / Slot 221 (0 Floor, West Wing) Non-fiction General Stacks 297.095483 P7M6 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Checked out 31/08/2025 201546

Table of Contents

Introduction. The first Indian Muslim
1. The port
2. The mosque
3. The palace
4. The sea
Conclusion. Monsoon Muslims.

Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, a distinct form of Islamic thought and practice developed among Muslim trading communities of the Indian Ocean. Sebastian R. Prange argues that this 'Monsoon Islam' was shaped by merchants not sultans, forged by commercial imperatives rather than in battle, and defined by the reality of Muslims living within non-Muslim societies. Focusing on India's Malabar Coast, the much-fabled 'land of pepper', Prange provides a case study of how Monsoon Islam developed in response to concrete economic, socio-religious, and political challenges. Because communities of Muslim merchants across the Indian Ocean were part of shared commercial, scholarly, and political networks, developments on the Malabar Coast illustrate a broader, trans-oceanic history of the evolution of Islam across monsoon Asia. This history is told through four spaces that are examined in their physical manifestations as well as symbolic meanings: the Port, the Mosque, the Palace, and the Sea.

Introduces the concept of 'monsoon Islam' that helps reveal a distinct trajectory of Indian Ocean history.

Provides a richly documented case study of the development of Islam on the Malabar Coast.

Tells the story of Islam from the perspective of ordinary Muslim merchants rather than political or religious elites.

https://www.cambridge.org/in/academic/subjects/history/south-asian-history/monsoon-islam-trade-and-faith-medieval-malabar-coast?format=HB&isbn=9781108424387

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