Submitted by D.M. Bradley on Wed, 16/12/2020 - 13:43
Affiliated Lecturer Prajakti Kalra has recently had two pieces of work published, one in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History and the other in Peripheral Histories Online.
“Pax Mongolica: Trade and Traders in the Mongol Empire.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History. Oxford University Press, 2016—. Article published November 19, 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.493.
This paper describes the myriad relationships between the Mongol Khans and traders that are testament to a deep partnership that brought to bear an exciting moment for Eurasia, making it possible to refer to the Mongol Empire in the 13th century as the first globalization. From the very beginning of the empire traders filled the ranks of middlemen and helped carve a space for bolstering exchanges in policymaking. Traders were close to the Khans and political elites and informed decision-making, often serving as emissaries, ministers, and administrators in the service of the Khans. Not only did traders provide the Khans with commodities, but they also served as money lenders, making them important partners to the Mongol state and the imperial family. Mongol Eurasia was able to transform micro economies into a coherent macro economy that relied on overland and maritime trade.
Reflective Piece on Peripheral Histories Online. 'Is Central Asian History peripheral?' https://www.peripheralhistories.co.uk/
This short reflective piece challenges the notion of Central Asian history as peripheral and offers evidence from the long arc of history to highlight the impact of Central Asia in world history. Far from being peripheral, Central Asia and the wider region has been home to some of the most momentous epochs of history. The author posits the category of analysis of Eurasia and empire (Mongol, Timurid etc) to circumvent the overarchingly colonial discourse applied to Central Asian countries today.