Oceanscapes: Tamil Textiles in the Early Modern World

DETAILS : 

• Author: S Jeyaseela Stephen
  
• Publisher: ‎ Primus Books
  
• Publication date: ‎ 1 January 2014
  
• Edition: ‎ Edition
  
• Language: ‎ English
  
• Print length: ‎ 706 pages
  
• ISBN-10: ‎ 9380607571
  
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-9380607573
  
• Item Weight: ‎ 1300 g 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Oceanscapes: Tamil Textiles in the Early Modern World, written by the acclaimed maritime historian S. Jeyaseela Stephen, is a comprehensive historical study that traces the global economic footprint of South India. Published by Primus Books, this dense volume reconstructs the international trade networks of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The foundational philosophy of this work is to evaluate regional craftsmanship on a global scale, shifting away from standard nation-centric histories to show how regional Tamil textiles actively shaped international commerce, global fashion trends, and early modern cross-cultural interactions.

The text examines structural changes, continuities, and economic transformations along the Coromandel Coast. Stephen details how the extraordinary skills of Tamil weavers, dyers, textile painters, and block-printers transformed woven cotton into a globally sought-after commodity. The narrative traces the complex distribution chains managed by traditional merchant communities—including the Chettiyars, Mudaliars, Pillais, and Marakkayars—who acted as vital brokers between local producers and incoming global powers. The book analyzes the intense mercantile competition among the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English East India Companies, while documenting the flow of precious metals, the process of monetization, and the transfer of sophisticated technological knowledge from production centers to the capitals of Europe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S. Jeyaseela Stephen is a distinguished Indian researcher, author, and academician who previously served as the Professor of Maritime History at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal. He has also held the position of Directeur at the Institut Pour Études Indo-Européennes, dedicating decades of his career to unearthing rare archival records across India and Europe.

Professor Stephen’s writing style is deeply academic, data-driven, and meticulously analytical. He avoids vague historical generalities by relying heavily on quantitative data, primary mercantile diaries, account books, and colonial records to construct authentic economic frameworks. His vast bibliography—which includes foundational works covering the Coromandel Coast, Pondicherry, and Portuguese maritime history—establishes him as a leading authority on early modern Indian Ocean trade and maritime historiography.