Armenians in the Early Modern World of the Indian Ocean, Dr. Sebouh D. Aslanian, Department of History, UCLA, July 18 at 7PM

Drawing on a rich trove of documents, including correspondence not seen for 300 years, Sebouh Aslanian’s lecture explores the emergence and growth of a remarkable global trade network operated by Armenian silk merchants from a small outpost in the Persian Empire. Based in New Julfa, Isfahan, in what is now Iran, these merchants operated a network of commercial settlements that stretched from London and Amsterdam to Manila and Acapulco.

Summarizing some of the main findings of his recent award-winning book, Aslanian will situate his discussion of the trading world of Armenian merchants from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean against the backdrop of larger historical developments between 1500 and 1800 that ushered in what world historians call the “early modern” era in global history. Among the topics that Aslanian will address in his lecture will be the Julfan use of a long-distance partnership contract known as the commenda and the role of “trust” and cooperation among Armenian merchants in an era before the existence of an efficient legal system capable of enforcing contracts across international boundaries. Discussion of these points will be set in the wider context of the concept of the “early modern” period in world history and the importance of maritime bodies as frameworks for the study of Armenian history during this period. Professor Aslanian will deliver his lecture in English and will respond to questions in Armenian or English.

Sebouh David Aslanian was born in Ethiopia and received his Ph.D. (with distinction) from Columbia University in 2007. He holds the Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair of Modern Armenian history at the department of history at UCLA. Prior to his arrival at UCLA, Professor Aslanian taught at CSULB, Cornell University, the University of Michigan, Chicago University, and Whitman College. From 2009 to 2010, Aslanian was a Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral fellow in world history at Cornell. Aslanian specializes in early modern world and Armenian history and is the author of numerous articles as well as two books. His recently published From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011) was the recipient of the PEN USA literary award for the most outstanding first book of the year from UC Press. It was also awarded the Middle East Studies Association’s (MESA) Houshang Pourshariati Prize for best book in Iranian Studies for 2011.