Crossing the Great Water
Crossing the Great Water
The Hajj and Commerce from Pre-Modern Southeast Asia
This chapter examines the economics of the Indian Ocean Hajj from Southeast Asia during the early modern and colonial periods. It argues that although the pilgrimage to Mecca was a religious duty, economic concerns were central in making this obligation function. Pilgrims had to ensure that they had the finances to complete a journey that was in almost every case (from Southeast Asia, at least) the longest that they would undertake in their lifetimes. Capital had to be accumulated, and merchants across a range of cultures and also across many economic strata had to be engaged to make the voyages work. State and private enterprise cooperated but also saw each other as adversaries in these epic sojourns. The chapter teases out this history over several centuries in the region and shows how everyday concerns such as trade and finance enabled the Indian Ocean Hajj on a grand scale.
Keywords: Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca, trade, private enterprise, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean, early modern, colonial
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