The western Indian Ocean constitutes a zone of contact with a long history of exchange and interaction between peoples and cultures. Monsoon winds and sea currents brought Arabia and India into contact with the African coastline and its interior from an early date. The Portuguese brought a new 'Atlantic' experience to this region in the sixteenth century. In this session we look at the trade networks that developed in the western Indian Ocean, the new forms of consumerism that emerged, and the strategies used to construct identities, particularly within the fields of nationalism and religion.
