Reviews
It helped me understand the history of maritime Asia over the past five centuries.
I work as a navigator, so the sea is close to me, and I enjoyed reading this. It’s certainly a substantial book, though—not exactly light reading!
Eric Taliacocho: 500 Years of Asian Maritime History
The vast Asian seas, stretching from Korea and Japan through Southeast Asia and India to the Middle East and East Africa, have become some of the world’s most dynamic routes. As Asia’s geopolitical importance at sea grows, we need to broaden maritime history beyond its traditional focus on the Pacific and Atlantic, understand the history of Asian waters, and prepare for the future. Eric Tagliacozzo, a Cornell history professor who has conducted research while living in various parts of Asia, explores the history from the 15th century, when maritime exchange in Asia began in earnest, to the present. He organizes the book around six themes—connection, trade, religion, cities, commodities, and technology—and draws on methods from history, anthropology, archaeology, art history, and geography. Each theme offers both a broad view of historical currents and close analysis of specific cases, helping readers understand modern and contemporary Asian maritime history in depth. The author’s extensive field research also gives a vivid sense of historical traces and present-day realities. Building on this research, he considers the future of Asian seas amid China’s expansionism and poses thought-provoking questions. The dynamism of Asian maritime history in this book can dispel the misconception that Asia has been a continent centered on farming and nomadic life.
Korean title: 아시아 500년 해양사
Korean author: 에릭 탈리아코초
Korean publisher: 책과함께
ISBN-13: 9791192913841
Reviews
It helped me understand the history of maritime Asia over the past five centuries.
I work as a navigator, so the sea is close to me, and I enjoyed reading this. It’s certainly a substantial book, though—not exactly light reading!
