Religion and Identity in the Indian Ocean World
Will be published approx. on 27. November 2025
Book
Hardback
450 pages
978-1-6669-7076-0 (ISBN)
Description
This is a ground-breaking volume on the role of religion as a major force of cohesion across the Indian Ocean region.
A diverse range of experts present a case for conceptualizing religion as an enabler of not only shared religious identities throughout the Indian Ocean world, but multiple shared identities mediated through religion, particularly as religion intersects with other manifestations of human society in this part of the world. This theme is explored through six major religious traditions, many of which originated in the Indian Ocean region, and all of which have played major roles throughout its history and to the present day. These traditions include Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. With this breadth and coverage of these traditions and their role in unifying communities from East Africa to Western Australia (including those belonging to nations north of that expanse of ocean), this book is a pioneering work on the multi-religious identities of the region.
A diverse range of experts present a case for conceptualizing religion as an enabler of not only shared religious identities throughout the Indian Ocean world, but multiple shared identities mediated through religion, particularly as religion intersects with other manifestations of human society in this part of the world. This theme is explored through six major religious traditions, many of which originated in the Indian Ocean region, and all of which have played major roles throughout its history and to the present day. These traditions include Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. With this breadth and coverage of these traditions and their role in unifying communities from East Africa to Western Australia (including those belonging to nations north of that expanse of ocean), this book is a pioneering work on the multi-religious identities of the region.
Reviews / Votes
This thoughtful, multidisciplinary volume vividly traces the complex relationships between belief, belonging, and movement across one of the most religiously diverse regions in the world. Anchored in the lived experience of varied faith communities across the Indian Ocean-Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain-it redefines the region not just as a site of commerce, but as a maritime crucible of religious creativity, diasporic connection, and historical transformation. This is an invaluable resource for scholars working on religion in motion and offers a compelling case for further theorizing the oceanic as a religious category. * Sebastian R. Prange, Associate Professor of South Asian History, University of British Columbia, Canada; author of Monsoon Islam * Religion and Identity in the Indian Ocean World is the rare sort of book that makes you rethink your view of world history. Time and again, this richly informative collection of case studies draws unexpected (but thoroughly convincing) connections and parallels between the extraordinarily diverse societies of this ocean world. The book is admirably ambitious in terms of its vast geographical scope, and the broad range of faith traditions that it encompasses. It is difficult to imagine a scholar so erudite that they would not learn much new and surprising from this book. * Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University, USA * This remarkably comprehensive collection of case studies reveals the intricately interwoven fabric of religions and identities that characterize the Indian Ocean world from East Africa to the Himalayas and beyond India to Australia. The kaleidoscopic histories of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist merchants, missionaries, warriors, colonizers, immigrants, and tourists are vividly depicted in ancient, medieval, and modern settings. Lucidly written, it will capture the interest of the general reader and specialist alike. * Juan E. Campo, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and the History of Religions, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
34 bw illus; 3 tables
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
798 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6669-7076-0 (9781666970760)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2025
Bloomsbury Academic
€107.99
Available for download
E-Book
09/2025
Bloomsbury Academic
€107.99
Available for download
Persons
Mark Fielding is Senior Lecturer in Education at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education, Australia and Director of the Indian Ocean Research Centre.
Joshua Esler is a researcher and Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education and Director of the Indian Ocean Research Centre. He is also Senior Research Fellow at the Indo-Pacific Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia.
Joshua Esler is a researcher and Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education and Director of the Indian Ocean Research Centre. He is also Senior Research Fellow at the Indo-Pacific Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia.
Content
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction: Songlines from Across the Seas: Religious Communities and Emergent Identities in the Indian Ocean World
Mark Fielding and Joshua Esler
Part I: Jewish Diaspora and the Homeland
1. Fighting off in the Distance: Dispute Resolution among the Jews of the Twelfth Century India Trade
Phillip I. Lieberman
2. Exploring the Presence and Culture of Ethiopian Jews
Lovenein Kaur and Jenny Skerritt
3. Keeping the Faith - The Jews of India
Angelica Jacob and Joshua Esler
Part II: Christian Missionaries, Settlers and Migrants
4. To Convert and Civilize? An Italian Missionary Learns Painful Lessons in Early Western Australia
John J. Kinder
5. "Warriors of Christ:" The Portuguese Empire in the Indian Ocean Region from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Centuries
Augusto Zimmermann
6. What Makes For "A Civilized Life?" Leisure, Liberal Values and Australian Aboriginal Approaches to Work and Technology
Matthew C. Ogilvie
7. The Gospel from the Indian Ocean: A Brief History of Tibetan Christianity
Namloyak Dhungser
8. The Depok Estate, the Depokkers and Christianity 1697-1950
Nonja Peters
9. Migration and Churches: Exploring the Role of Chinese Churches in Migrants' Adaptation Process in Perth, Australia
Him Chung, Leei Wong, and Peter Ho
Part III: Islam: Historic and Contemporary Fragmentation and Cohesion
10. The Mosques of the Maldives and Buddhist Indian Ocean Worlds
Stephane Pradines and Anita Nadeem
11. The State and the Swahili Peoples of the Contemporary East African Coast
Gregory Cameron
Part IV Hinduism in an Island Paradise
12. The Cross-border Interplay of Religion, Trade and Tourism: The Case of Hindu Bali and Australian Visitors
Jonathan D. James and Daniel Trihandarkha
Part V: Jainism: Monsoon Traders and the Diaspora
13. The Currents of Culture - Jains and Jainism in the Indian Ocean
Tine Vekemans and Yifan Zhang
Part VI: Buddhism in Transition: Migration, Transnationalism and the Buddhist Imaginary
14. When Was Buddhism First Established in Australia?: Methodological Issues from a Hazy Past
John Powers
15. 'Landlocked Tibet' and the Indian Ocean: Exploring the Tibetan Imaginary of the Maritime Through the Biography of Atisa, the Jataka Stories and Religious Art
Joshua Esler
16. Materializing Tibetan Buddhism in the West: The Co-emergence of Tradition and Conversion
Kathleen Gregory
17. Remoulding Religion: How Vietnamese Buddhism Navigated Change, Withstood War and Migrated Abroad
Alexander Baky Tran
About the Contributors
List of Tables
Introduction: Songlines from Across the Seas: Religious Communities and Emergent Identities in the Indian Ocean World
Mark Fielding and Joshua Esler
Part I: Jewish Diaspora and the Homeland
1. Fighting off in the Distance: Dispute Resolution among the Jews of the Twelfth Century India Trade
Phillip I. Lieberman
2. Exploring the Presence and Culture of Ethiopian Jews
Lovenein Kaur and Jenny Skerritt
3. Keeping the Faith - The Jews of India
Angelica Jacob and Joshua Esler
Part II: Christian Missionaries, Settlers and Migrants
4. To Convert and Civilize? An Italian Missionary Learns Painful Lessons in Early Western Australia
John J. Kinder
5. "Warriors of Christ:" The Portuguese Empire in the Indian Ocean Region from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Centuries
Augusto Zimmermann
6. What Makes For "A Civilized Life?" Leisure, Liberal Values and Australian Aboriginal Approaches to Work and Technology
Matthew C. Ogilvie
7. The Gospel from the Indian Ocean: A Brief History of Tibetan Christianity
Namloyak Dhungser
8. The Depok Estate, the Depokkers and Christianity 1697-1950
Nonja Peters
9. Migration and Churches: Exploring the Role of Chinese Churches in Migrants' Adaptation Process in Perth, Australia
Him Chung, Leei Wong, and Peter Ho
Part III: Islam: Historic and Contemporary Fragmentation and Cohesion
10. The Mosques of the Maldives and Buddhist Indian Ocean Worlds
Stephane Pradines and Anita Nadeem
11. The State and the Swahili Peoples of the Contemporary East African Coast
Gregory Cameron
Part IV Hinduism in an Island Paradise
12. The Cross-border Interplay of Religion, Trade and Tourism: The Case of Hindu Bali and Australian Visitors
Jonathan D. James and Daniel Trihandarkha
Part V: Jainism: Monsoon Traders and the Diaspora
13. The Currents of Culture - Jains and Jainism in the Indian Ocean
Tine Vekemans and Yifan Zhang
Part VI: Buddhism in Transition: Migration, Transnationalism and the Buddhist Imaginary
14. When Was Buddhism First Established in Australia?: Methodological Issues from a Hazy Past
John Powers
15. 'Landlocked Tibet' and the Indian Ocean: Exploring the Tibetan Imaginary of the Maritime Through the Biography of Atisa, the Jataka Stories and Religious Art
Joshua Esler
16. Materializing Tibetan Buddhism in the West: The Co-emergence of Tradition and Conversion
Kathleen Gregory
17. Remoulding Religion: How Vietnamese Buddhism Navigated Change, Withstood War and Migrated Abroad
Alexander Baky Tran
About the Contributors