Southeast Asian Trade in a Global Perspective, from Antiquity to the Modern Era
Southeast Asian Trade in a Global Perspective, from Antiquity to the Modern Era
- Derek HengDerek HengDepartment of History, Northern Arizona University
Summary
Southeast Asia has been a critical nexus of the economic interactions between the Indian Ocean, China Seas, and the Pacific Ocean littoral. Trade and commerce developed from the early first to late second millennia involving shipping and commercial networks both within Southeast Asia and from further afield. Accompanying these networks were the region’s port cities, which held these networks together, pulling the subregional networks of trade and commerce into one regional economic sphere.
The nature of trade and commerce was affected by the different ecological and economic zones of Southeast Asia. This in turn affected the types of products that were traded and the communications links that connected the different subregions to the outside world. In addition, economic interactions with regions further afield and the geopolitical changes that these regions underwent also determined the types of products that flowed into and through Southeast Asia, as well as the way in which commerce was conducted.
Subjects
- Capitalism
- Economic/Business
- Southeast Asia
