Trade and Contemporary Society along the Silk Road: An ethno-history of Ladakh PDF
Preview Trade and Contemporary Society along the Silk Road: An ethno-history of Ladakh
Trade and Contemporary Society along the Silk Road This book provides an ethno-historical study of the trade system in Ladakh (India), a busy entrepôt for Silk Route trade between Central and South Asia. Previously a part of global networks, Ladakh became an isolated border area as national boundaries were defined and enforced in the mid- twentieth century. As trade with Central Asia ended, social life in Ladakh was irrevocably altered. The author’s research combines anthropological, historical, and archaeological methods of investigation, using data from primary documents, ethnographic interviews and participation-observation fieldwork. The result is a cultural history of South and Central Asia, detailing the social lives of historical Ladakhi traders and identifying their community as a cosmopolitan social group. The relationship between the historical narratives and the modern ethnographic context illustrates how social issues in modern communities are related to those of the past. It is demonstrated that this relationship depends on both memories: narratives about the past constructed within present social contexts, and legacies: ways in which the past continues to shape present social interactions. This book will be of particular interest to anthropologists, historians and specialists in South and Central Asian studies, as well as those interested in historical archaeology, science, sociology, political science and economics. Jacqueline H. Fewkes is an Assistant Professor at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University. Her research interests are in the anthropological study of cultural change, historical transnational networks, and globalization. She has recently begun a new project in the Maldives. Routledge Contemporary Asia Series 1 Taiwan and Post- Communist Europe Shopping for allies Czeslaw Tubilewicz 2 The Asia-Europe Meeting The theory and practice of interregionalism Alfredo C. 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Fewkes R Routledge Taylor & Francis Group LONDON AND NEW YORK First published 2009 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2009 Jacqueline H. Fewkes All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Trade and contemporary society along the silk road : an ethno-history of Ladakh / Jacqueline Fewkes. p. cm. — (Routledge contemporary Asia series ; 8) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Ethnology—India—Ladakh Region. 2. Ethnohistory— India—Ladakh Region. 3. Ladakhi (South Asian people)— History. 4. Ladakhi (South Asian people)—Commerce. 5. Ladakhi (South Asian people)—Economic conditions. 6. Commerce—India—Ladakh Region—History. 7. Trade routes— India—Ladakh Region—History. 8. Ladakh Region (India)— History. 9. Ladakh (India)— Economic conditions. I. Title. GN635.I4F49 2008 305.800954—dc22 2008021898 ISBN 0-203-27369-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 10: 0-415-77555-8 (hbk) ISBN 10: 0-203-27369-9 (ebk) ISBN 13: 978-0-415-77555-7 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-203-27369-2 (ebk) This book is dedicated to my parents, Mary Anne and Robert Fewkes, with thanks for all their love and support. Plates, Figures, Maps and Tables Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Methods and sources: The documents Methods and sources: Ethnographic interviews, family histories, and surveys Methods and sources: Material culture Organization of this book 1 Beyond the roof of the world The Moonland and the Land of Passes “The Roof of the World” Little Tibet The Last Shangri-La 2 Recognizing the terrain: An historical background Arranging history The Silk Route Many paths to the bazaars: Historical trading routes through Ladakh Crossroads: Leh, “A very cosmopolitan city” 3 The family business Ethnographic present: The Hoshiarpuri traders Identity and trading communities Arghun identity 4 Social strategies for profit Trade networks 5 Living in a material world 6 The demise of trade 7 The memory and legacy of trade Conclusion Glossary Notes Bibliography Index
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