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California World History Library
From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa
Drawing on a rich trove of documents, including correspondence not seen for 300 years, this study explores the emergence and growth of a remarkable global trade network operated by Armenian silk merchants from a small outpost in the Persian Empire. Based in New Julfa, Isfahan, in what is now Iran, these merchants operated a network of commercial settlements that stretched from London and Amsterdam to Manila and Acapulco. The New Julfan Armenians were the only Eurasian community that was able to operate simultaneously and successfully in all the major empires of the early modern world—both land-based Asian empires and the emerging sea-borne empires—astonishingly without the benefits of an imperial network and state that accompanied and facilitated European mercantile expansion during the same period. This book brings to light for the first time the trans-imperial cosmopolitan world of the New Julfans. Among other topics, it explores the effects of long distance trade on the organization of community life, the ethos of trust and cooperation that existed among merchants, and the importance of information networks and communication in the operation of early modern mercantile communities.
- GenresHistory
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2010
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About the author
Sebouh David Aslanian
5 books6 followersSebouh David Aslanian is Associate Professor of History and the Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of California-Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 13, 2016
Superb, original, authoritive, ground breaking.
October 26, 2015
I'd normally give this book a four, but I felt I should give it a boost due to all the needlessly harsh one-star reviews.
This is an interesting and capably executed study of the New Julfan Armenians' early modern global trading network. While the primary focus of Aslanian's book is the reconstruction of the New Julfan network, based on some truly impressive archival treasure that he's dug up (of which he is rightfully proud), the book by no means lacks a "coherent analytical frame" or theory or whatever the other criticisms are. The first half of the book reconstructs the Julfan network, and the second half provides a theoretical analysis. While Aslanian draws heavily on other scholars' theory (who doesn't?), he also draws some original conclusions and offers modifications to the theories he's deploying. Plenty of these have wider application outside the narrow study of Julfa, Armenian merchants, or diasporic communities.
For instance, Aslanian argues, following Claude Markovits, that the concept of "trade diaspora," popular in world history, is analytically fuzzy and that early-modern trade networks are better understood as "circulation societies," organized through nodal centers & clusters of dispersed nodes, which circulate men, goods, credit, and, most importantly, information. Aslanian considers the circulation of information especially important, as not only did merchants require information about prices in different trading centers, but that the circulation of reputational information about other network participants was crucial for enforcing group behavioral norms and fostering trust in a global, long-distance network in the absence of modern trust-building institutions like courts. Embedding this insight within Bourdieu et al's "social capital" theory, Aslanian argues that adherence to group norms within the Julfan network thus became the rationally self-interested move of all network members, challenging previous vague explanations of Armenian group solidarity as a function of shared ethnic, cultural, or religious identity. Aslanian also compares the Julfan network to similar early modern trade networks, the Multani Indians and Sephardic Jews, to draw some further theoretical insights.
It's not exactly Braudel, but well worth reading, and Aslanian is pretty well organized and writes clearly, so you can get most of what he's on about just from reading the preface and conclusion.
This is an interesting and capably executed study of the New Julfan Armenians' early modern global trading network. While the primary focus of Aslanian's book is the reconstruction of the New Julfan network, based on some truly impressive archival treasure that he's dug up (of which he is rightfully proud), the book by no means lacks a "coherent analytical frame" or theory or whatever the other criticisms are. The first half of the book reconstructs the Julfan network, and the second half provides a theoretical analysis. While Aslanian draws heavily on other scholars' theory (who doesn't?), he also draws some original conclusions and offers modifications to the theories he's deploying. Plenty of these have wider application outside the narrow study of Julfa, Armenian merchants, or diasporic communities.
For instance, Aslanian argues, following Claude Markovits, that the concept of "trade diaspora," popular in world history, is analytically fuzzy and that early-modern trade networks are better understood as "circulation societies," organized through nodal centers & clusters of dispersed nodes, which circulate men, goods, credit, and, most importantly, information. Aslanian considers the circulation of information especially important, as not only did merchants require information about prices in different trading centers, but that the circulation of reputational information about other network participants was crucial for enforcing group behavioral norms and fostering trust in a global, long-distance network in the absence of modern trust-building institutions like courts. Embedding this insight within Bourdieu et al's "social capital" theory, Aslanian argues that adherence to group norms within the Julfan network thus became the rationally self-interested move of all network members, challenging previous vague explanations of Armenian group solidarity as a function of shared ethnic, cultural, or religious identity. Aslanian also compares the Julfan network to similar early modern trade networks, the Multani Indians and Sephardic Jews, to draw some further theoretical insights.
It's not exactly Braudel, but well worth reading, and Aslanian is pretty well organized and writes clearly, so you can get most of what he's on about just from reading the preface and conclusion.
August 14, 2022
The book describes the global Armenian merchant network of 17th and 18th centuries based in Isfahan. There is a good outline of its history, from the forced transfer of merchants from Armenia to Isfahan to the decline under the brutal hand of Nadir Shah. Several chapters illustrate internal structure of the network and finally compare it to other well-known trade networks organized along medieval lines.
I loved every word of it. First of all, the book does not really have much competition. I am not aware of any other book treating the topic with this level of erudition and detail. There is a lot of original research, consulting archives in Armenian, New Julfa Armenian, Middle Persian, Spanish, Italian, Russian, you name it. While there is some theorizing about similar merchant networks, and I am not a great fan of this, it is kept at a tolerable minimum. By far the greatest part of the book deals with practical functions of the network, illustrated by legal documents, merchant biographies, contemporary witness notes etc. Another great thing about the book--it is not too long. There is a logical structure to it, no fodder, I am sure the author diligently removed plenty of less germane information during editing. Those of us who know how difficult this is do appreciate.
If you are interested in social aspects of early modern Armenian or Iranian history, this book is a must.
I loved every word of it. First of all, the book does not really have much competition. I am not aware of any other book treating the topic with this level of erudition and detail. There is a lot of original research, consulting archives in Armenian, New Julfa Armenian, Middle Persian, Spanish, Italian, Russian, you name it. While there is some theorizing about similar merchant networks, and I am not a great fan of this, it is kept at a tolerable minimum. By far the greatest part of the book deals with practical functions of the network, illustrated by legal documents, merchant biographies, contemporary witness notes etc. Another great thing about the book--it is not too long. There is a logical structure to it, no fodder, I am sure the author diligently removed plenty of less germane information during editing. Those of us who know how difficult this is do appreciate.
If you are interested in social aspects of early modern Armenian or Iranian history, this book is a must.
March 25, 2024
Het was super interessant, maar waar waren de vrouwen?? Het ging over hoe het Armeense handelsnetwerk in stand werd gehouden o.a. door roddels, hallo dan kun je toch niet om vrouwen heen? Maar goed
December 16, 2013
The emerging portrait lacks a coherent analytical framework; this is largely a descriptive (i.e. historical) book bogged down by (often) tangential detail. It's not a book of ideas and will not change one looks at history. The level of research is commendable. I hoped it would be more wide-reaching in its reconstruction of an important mercantile minority in Iran.
December 8, 2013
Enjoyed reading him on social media than in the world history class. Not a difficult grader, but anything interesting he has to say is lost in the footnotes used as a mask for erudition. If you are into theory or
original analysis, avoid this book.
original analysis, avoid this book.
June 13, 2012
Un trabajo muy interesante y sobre todo muy necesario sobre los armenios de Julfa y su red comercial.
December 27, 2013
Boring like an old tombstone with endless academic (ie; non-germane) footnotes.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews