Struggling with History: Islam and Cosmopolitanism in the Western Indian Ocean (Columbia/Hurst)

Review A major and very timely addition to scholarship both on a theoretical and on an empirical level. The case studies contribute greatly to our understanding of the differences and commonalities of urban centers linked to the Indian Ocean from East Africa to India. This highly readable study ought to become a standard work of reference. (Ulrike Freitag, Free University, Berlin)Struggling with History represents the latest phase of thinking through what constitutes the Indian Ocean as a region and how to characterize the fluency of its inhabitants. It offers a fascinating repertoire of Muslim politics and history. (Michael Lambek, London School of Economics) Product Description Struggling with History compares anthropological and historical approaches to the study of the Indian Ocean by focusing on the conflicted nature of cosmopolitanism. Essays contribute to current debates on the nature of cosmopolitanism, the comparative study of Muslim societies, and the examination of colonial and postcolonial contexts. Few books combine a comparable level of interdisciplinary scholarship and regional ethnographic expertise. About the Author Edward Simpson is lecturer in anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London.