Seas

NEH 2002 Summer Institute at the University of Pennsylvania

INDIAN OCEAN: CRADLE OF GLOBALIZATION http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/indianocean/index.html

From July 8 to August 2, 2002, the Institute introduced participants to the historical and cultural dynamism of the Indian Ocean and to the place of its littoral populations in world history. Though perhaps not as familiar to American students and educators as the Atlantic or Mediterranean worlds, the Indian Ocean has been one of the most important arenas of commercial and cultural interaction from ancient times to the present. For the many peoples living around its shores, the Ocean provided not only livelihood and a challenge for sailors and seafarers, but also a busy corridor channeling crops, people, and ideas between Asia and the Near East, and Africa. The Indian Ocean’s pearl-divers, pirates, and religious pilgrims provided a rich source of folklore for the oral and written literatures of Arabia, East Africa, and South Asia. Kings and princes from three continents sought to exploit its wealth; imperial expeditions from China, India, and Portugal in early modern times gave way to Dutch, British, and French empire builders in the modern era. And all the while, musical, architectural, and philosophical ideas continued to diffuse throughout the Indian Ocean world, creating countless variations on a shared cultural heritage.

For four weeks, these and other themes with the help of specialists in disciplines ranging from geography and anthropology to religious studies and ethnomusicology have been studied. In addition to hearing from established specialists like Andrew Watson (professsor emeritus of Economics at the University of Toronto) and Edward Alpers (professor of History and African Studies at UCLA), the Institute was joined by innovative young scholars who have been developing new ideas and approaches to the study of world history, currently becoming a staple of college and university curricula throughout the country. The Institute’s co-directors, historian Lee Cassanelli (specialist in Somalia and the Horn of Africa) and anthropologist Brian Spooner (specialist in South Asian and Iranian studies) served as guides throughout the summer, providing commentary and continuity. Both have extensive experience working with high school and college teachers in global studies, and together they have team taught a freshman course on “Globalization” for the University of Pennsylvania’s new pilot curriculum. The co-directors were assisted by co-ordinator Robert Nichols, professor of South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, who recently introduced a new Indian Ocean history course at his institution. Finally, participating fellows themselves have played a leading role in developing classroom lectures and modules for their students.

• To view the schedules, please go to: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/indianocean/schedule.html
• Indian Ocean Related Websites include (more can be found at: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/indianocean/resources.html)
  • CIA Indian Ocean Facts
  • Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection Indian Ocean Maps
  • World Atlas Indian Ocean Page
  • UCLA conference on Cultural Exchange and Transformation in the Indian Ocean World
  • Indian Ocean Center, Curtin University
  • Oceans Connect, Duke University
    http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/regoc/figlist.html
    Figures from Tomczak & Godfrey's "Regional Oceanography: An Introduction". Chapter 11 & 12 include the following figures of interest: Topography of the Indian Ocean; The monsoon of the Indian Ocean, schematic; Indian Ocean currents; The East Madagascar Current; Antarctic Bottom Water in the Indian Ocean; and Water masses in the thermocline of the IndianOcean.
    http://www.apri.ac.nz/maritime.html
    The APRI site on Maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
    http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/ile.en.ile/indien/
    A general reference page on the Indian Ocean region, with useful bibliographic links. (French)
    http://ioc.unesco.org/odinafrica/
    ODINAFRICA is a project involving 20 African countries working together towards establishing a network of ocean data and information centres providing services and products for decision makers, researchers, students, the private sector and the general public. (English)
    http://www.bibliotheque.refer.org/litoi/
    An online version of "Literature of the Indian Ocean", by Jean-Louis Joubert. (French)
    http://indianocean.free.fr/
    The Indian Ocean Climatology & Oceanography (IOCO)Gateway: includes both detailed climatology information and links to sites tracking conditions in the surrounding areas. (English)
    http://www.indianoceanbooks.com/
    Indian Ocean Books, Maps, and Prints: specializes in used and antiquarian materials from and about Indian Ocean islands and the countries of the Indian Ocean Rim. (English)
    http://www.ziff.or.tz/
    The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) features the work of contemporary artists from the African continent, the Indian Ocean region, and their global Diaspora. (English)
  • Country Specific sites from Columbia University's African Studies Department which include a number of useful links. (English and French):
    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/Comoros.html Coromos
    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/Madagascar.html Madagascar
    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/Mauritius.html Mauritius
    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/Reunion.html Reunion
    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/Seychelles.html Seychelles
  • Country Guides from the Library of Congress Federal Research Division (English):
    http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/kmtoc.html Coromos
    http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/sctoc.html Seychelles
    http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mvtoc.html Maldives
    http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mutoc.html Mauritius
    http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mgtoc.html Madagascar
    http://www.nio.org/ The National Institute of Oceanography (India) site. (English)
    http://www-ocean.tamu.edu/WOCE95/Future/indian.html A website about the WOCE Indian Ocean project. (English)
    http://www.sidsnet.org/ Small Islands Developing States Network website.
    http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/souasia/souaior.htmA security issues bibliography for the Indian Ocean region.
    http://www.maldivesculture.com/main.htmlEnglish translations from Maldivian language newspapers and publications and other interesting materials.
  • Indian Ocean Archaeology:
    Indus Valley Civilization / Maritime archaeology and the history of Sri-Lanka