Sebouh David Aslanian

Sebouh David Aslanian is an American historian with Armenian roots . He is Professor of Modern Armenian History at the University of California , Los Angeles. His areas of expertise are early modern history, Armenian history and the Armenian language. Aslanian works with micro-historical research approaches .

Work and reception

His most most influential book From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa examines the emergence and development of the global trading network between the years 1605 and 1747 by Armenian silk merchants, which in New Julfa , Isfahan were located . He based his research on sources from seven language areas and consulted over 30 different archives from 12 different countries. His focus is not on Eurocentric documents, but on Armenian primary sources . These contain letters, contracts, cash books and other handwritten documents from the Armenian traders. With his extensively researched book, Aslanian describes the impact of long-distance trade on the structure of the communal life of traders and their social, economic and political structures. At the same time, he examines the development of trust networks and explains the importance of “trans-imperial cosmopolitanism ”, which shaped the identity and business etiquette of the Armenian traders. He is critical of previous studies that have dealt with trading diasporas , as they take trust between representatives of the same ethnic group or religion for granted. To reevaluate this concept of trust, he makes use of social capital theory . This describes standards for the appropriate handling in a network and the sanctions for non-compliance. According to Patricia Risso from the University of New Mexico , he rates social capital as highly relevant for those traders who depend on long-term partnerships over long distances.

Fonts

From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa. University of California Press, Oakland 2011, ISBN 9780520947573

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Review for From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa , winner of the Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Prize 2011.
↑ Patricia Risso: Review of From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa . In: The American Historical Review, . tape 117 , no. 4 , 2012, p. 1188-1188 , JSTOR : 23427894 .

personal data
SURNAME	Aslanian, Sebouh David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American historian
DATE OF BIRTH	20th century

[1] Review for From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa , winner of the Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Prize 2011.

[Risso-2] Patricia Risso: Review of From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa . In: The American Historical Review, . tape 117 , no. 4 , 2012, p. 1188-1188 , JSTOR : 23427894 .