The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550-1900

Download or read book The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550-1900 written by Scott Cameron Levi and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countering the commonly held notion that 17th-century Central Asia was economically isolated after the relative prosperity of the Mongol and Timurid Empires, Levi (Asian history, Eastern Illinois U.) argues that Indian merchants established a diaspora network of commercial communities across urban and rural Central Asia. Not limiting their exchange to the import-export trade, these merchants engaged in a variety of money-lending activities that placed them in a unique socio-economic position that allowed the mainly Hindu merchants to live for extended periods in Muslim countries. Furthermore, these merchants' associations with Indian family firms helped finance transregional trade, rural credit systems, and industrial production throughout Central Asia. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR