Coastal Histories: Society and Ecology in Pre-modern IndiaYogesh Sharma The subject of maritime and oceanic history comprises a large corpus and includes related thematic engagements such as the history of overseas exploration and expansion, navalmilitary history, shipping, port cities, the role of migrations and cross-cultural processes. This extensive field of enquiry also focuses upon the study of littoral societies or the coastal regions, in understanding the influence of the ocean upon these lands. The interface between the land and the sea, with its several ecological and topographical variations, has played an important role in determining human activity, the settlement patterns and material culture in the coastal regions, which taken together constitute huge masses of territories in all continents. The general pattern of existence and the rhythm of life in all these dissociated regions, however, had considerable commonality, due to the overwhelming impact of the two dominant elements-water and land-in shaping the destinies of its inhabitants. Coastal societies have their own particular notion of identity and ambience, which differentiates them from the extensive continental zones. It is in this context, that coastal territories and their histories constitute an interesting theme of enquiry. The present volume examines a number of themes pertaining to different coastal regions of India: coastal ecology, commercial crops, transmission of diseases, fortifications, port hierarchy, new port towns, vessels and boats, fishing communities, social life of women, etc. It should be of interest to students and scholars of maritime history of India. |
Contents
FOREWORD | vii |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | xiii |
Cochineal Culture | 1 |
economy in eighteenthCentury Bengal | 15 |
the politics and Culture of early Modern Warfare on | 43 |
Coastal polity and the Changing portHierarchy of Kerala | 85 |
their representation | 91 |
disease Morbidity and Mortality in | 107 |
life of early english settlers | 155 |
NOTES ON EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTORS | 210 |
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Common terms and phrases
abbé Carré Angre Asia Asian Bengal boats Bombay Bowrey Calcutta Calicut catamaran centres Chera cholera Christian cities coast coastal India coastal regions coastal societies Cochin colonial commercial Company Company’s Coromandel Coromandel coast Council culture Delhi early modern East economic eighteenth century English epidemic European fever fishermen fishing Francois Martin GBCI Gujarat hand caste History hospital host human Ibid important Indian Ocean Indian ships infection infectious diseases intra-Indian Oceanic island John Fryer Kanhoji Angre Kerala land large numbers Linschoten London Madras Malabar Maratha masulas merchants micro-organisms military revolution mortality Mucquas Mughal Muslim Muziris naval Navy noted Ocean regions parasite pathogens period Peshwa Pietro Della Valle Pius Malekandathil plague political population port Portuguese Pyrard Quilon recorded rivers rulers season settlements seventeenth century sixteenth smallpox social soldiers South Surat surgeon Thevenot Tome Pires town transport Travels viruses Voyage WBSA women zamorin