Sebouh David Aslanian
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520266872
- eISBN:
- 9780520947573
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520266872.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
During the Safavid-Ottoman wars of 1603–1605, the Safavid monarch Shah 'Abbas I (r. 1587–1629) laid waste to the frontier regions of his empire, deporting up to 300,000 Armenians and others from the ...
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During the Safavid-Ottoman wars of 1603–1605, the Safavid monarch Shah 'Abbas I (r. 1587–1629) laid waste to the frontier regions of his empire, deporting up to 300,000 Armenians and others from the frontier territories, and resettling them in the interior of his realm. The Julfans were driven to the Iranian capital of Isfahan, where 'Abbas I granted them land across the Zayandarud River and permitted them to build their own suburb, named New Julfa, in memory of their abandoned home. As a result of its lucrative hold on Iran's silk exports to Europe, the small suburb of New Julfa grew throughout the seventeenth century to become one of the most important mercantile centers in Eurasia. The Julfan Armenians were able to build one of the greatest trade networks of the early modern period. This book examines the emergence and growth of this global trade network of Armenian merchants from New Julfa. It also recreates the ethos of trust and cooperation between merchants of the same community and describes the concept of “trade diaspora.”.Less
During the Safavid-Ottoman wars of 1603–1605, the Safavid monarch Shah 'Abbas I (r. 1587–1629) laid waste to the frontier regions of his empire, deporting up to 300,000 Armenians and others from the frontier territories, and resettling them in the interior of his realm. The Julfans were driven to the Iranian capital of Isfahan, where 'Abbas I granted them land across the Zayandarud River and permitted them to build their own suburb, named New Julfa, in memory of their abandoned home. As a result of its lucrative hold on Iran's silk exports to Europe, the small suburb of New Julfa grew throughout the seventeenth century to become one of the most important mercantile centers in Eurasia. The Julfan Armenians were able to build one of the greatest trade networks of the early modern period. This book examines the emergence and growth of this global trade network of Armenian merchants from New Julfa. It also recreates the ethos of trust and cooperation between merchants of the same community and describes the concept of “trade diaspora.”.
Sebouh David Aslanian
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520266872
- eISBN:
- 9780520947573
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520266872.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
This chapter focuses on “trust” and cooperation in the Julfan trade network. It argues that the tendency to take “trust” in early modern merchant communities for granted, despite its central role in ...
More
This chapter focuses on “trust” and cooperation in the Julfan trade network. It argues that the tendency to take “trust” in early modern merchant communities for granted, despite its central role in the lives of such communities, is one of the hallmarks of the trade diaspora paradigm. It considers trust as a commodity created by merchants largely through rigorous monitoring of merchant behavior, rewarding individuals upholding high ethical standards, and sanctioning those who break codes of honor and betray their fellow merchants. To explain the creation of “trust” and cooperation, this chapter relies on theoretical literature in economic sociology known as “social capital theory.” It investigates the creation and maintenance of “trust” in the Julfan network using a model that places emphasis on a centralized and centralizing semiformal legal institution in Julfa known as the Assembly of Merchants and to a lesser degree, the church and its network of priests. It embeds information flows within a detailed study of merchant correspondence and courier networks, which were vital to the proper functioning of the Julfan network.Less
This chapter focuses on “trust” and cooperation in the Julfan trade network. It argues that the tendency to take “trust” in early modern merchant communities for granted, despite its central role in the lives of such communities, is one of the hallmarks of the trade diaspora paradigm. It considers trust as a commodity created by merchants largely through rigorous monitoring of merchant behavior, rewarding individuals upholding high ethical standards, and sanctioning those who break codes of honor and betray their fellow merchants. To explain the creation of “trust” and cooperation, this chapter relies on theoretical literature in economic sociology known as “social capital theory.” It investigates the creation and maintenance of “trust” in the Julfan network using a model that places emphasis on a centralized and centralizing semiformal legal institution in Julfa known as the Assembly of Merchants and to a lesser degree, the church and its network of priests. It embeds information flows within a detailed study of merchant correspondence and courier networks, which were vital to the proper functioning of the Julfan network.
Anne Haour
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199697748
- eISBN:
- 9780191804892
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199697748.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter examines long-distance traders. The trade diaspora, defined as a network of dispersed but socially highly interrelated communities, is a core concept in West African historical ...
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This chapter examines long-distance traders. The trade diaspora, defined as a network of dispersed but socially highly interrelated communities, is a core concept in West African historical anthropology. The diaspora depends largely on the merchants retaining a marginal position within the host society; thus, crucially, these dispersed networks can be visible archaeologically, through a careful study of material culture and inter- and intra-site patterning. The chapter considers the evidence for their time depth in West Africa and then widens the discussion to consider the cross-cultural applicability of the trade diaspora concept.Less
This chapter examines long-distance traders. The trade diaspora, defined as a network of dispersed but socially highly interrelated communities, is a core concept in West African historical anthropology. The diaspora depends largely on the merchants retaining a marginal position within the host society; thus, crucially, these dispersed networks can be visible archaeologically, through a careful study of material culture and inter- and intra-site patterning. The chapter considers the evidence for their time depth in West Africa and then widens the discussion to consider the cross-cultural applicability of the trade diaspora concept.
Marie-Paule Ha
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622099456
- eISBN:
- 9789882206687
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622099456.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
In the nineteenth century, a sizeable Chinese labor cum trade diasporic community was established in Indochina, where they occupied a dominant position in the local economy until the arrival of the ...
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In the nineteenth century, a sizeable Chinese labor cum trade diasporic community was established in Indochina, where they occupied a dominant position in the local economy until the arrival of the French. Upon the completion of colonial conquest and pacification in the 1880s, the French embarked on the mise en valeur of their new possession by setting up a state-sponsored and state-backed “imperial diaspora.” This chapter discusses cultural practices of the Chinese and the French in Indochina, and shows that the Manichean schema not only fails to account for the complexity of the colonial reality, it has also created a form of the “White Man's Burden” that differs in an interesting way from the one eulogized by Rudyard Kipling, the British imperial bard.Less
In the nineteenth century, a sizeable Chinese labor cum trade diasporic community was established in Indochina, where they occupied a dominant position in the local economy until the arrival of the French. Upon the completion of colonial conquest and pacification in the 1880s, the French embarked on the mise en valeur of their new possession by setting up a state-sponsored and state-backed “imperial diaspora.” This chapter discusses cultural practices of the Chinese and the French in Indochina, and shows that the Manichean schema not only fails to account for the complexity of the colonial reality, it has also created a form of the “White Man's Burden” that differs in an interesting way from the one eulogized by Rudyard Kipling, the British imperial bard.
