Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Europe-South Asia Relations in the Medieval and Modern Periods
Content:
In this session, we would like to give voice to the usually silent witness – the material evidence – of the trade and maritime connections between South Asia and Europe. The focus will be on the medieval and modern periods where it is mostly possible to combine historical sources, material evidence and sometimes even oral tradition. We think of topics like:
- the gemstone trade with Europe
- the spice trade evidence at ports like Muziris or Rome
- underwater remains like shipwrecks with cargo (e.g. teak timber or Basel Mission tiles) as witnesses of trade and exchange between the two regions
- the influences on the built environment through colonization and mission activities
- the activities of different colonizing nations or missions of different persuasions
- the evidence for change or resistance to new lifestyles and mindsets in both regions
- the absorption of South Asian products, religions, and cultures in Europe.
While presenting our research, we would like to discuss at the same time how research and teaching on this topic might need to be decolonized in the future.
Literature:
- Diaz-Andreu 2007: Margarita Diaz-Andreu, Colonialism and Monumental Archaeology in South and Southeast Asia. In: M. Diaz-Andreu, A World History of Nineteenth-Century Archaeology. Oxford: Oxford Academic, 209-244.
- Hancock 2021: James F. Hancock, Spices, Scents and Silk: Catalysts of World Trade (Oxfordshire: CAB International, 2021).
- Hilgner et al. 2017: Alexandra Hilgner, Susanne Greiff & Dieter Quast (eds), Gemstones in the First Millennium AD. Mainz: RGZM 2017.
- Hüglin et al. 2023: Sophie Hüglin, Priya Joseph & Sila Tripati, From Basel Mission to Mangalore Tiles. Mitt. DGAMN 36, 2023, 9-22.
- Wilson/Hauser 2016: Brian C. Wilson & Mark W. Hauser, Toward a South Asian Historical Archaeology. Historical Archaeology 50 (4), 2016, 7-21.
Keywords:
South Asian archaeology, medieval archaeology, modern archaeology, underwater archaeology, colonialism, maritime trade
Session associated with MERC:
yes
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Sophie Hueglin (Switzerland) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Percy Arfeen-Wegner (Germany) 3
Mark Hauser (United States) 4
Sila Tripati (India) 5
Affiliations:
1. University of Tuebingen
2. Newcastle University
3. Ruhr University Bochum
4. Northwestern University
5. National Institute of Oceanography (retired)
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