Beyond the Silk Roads

Magnus Marsden

doi:10.1017/9781108974387

Small-scale traders play a crucial role in forging Asian connectivity, forming networks and informal institutions separate from those driven by nation-states, such as China's Belt and Road Initiative. This ambitious study provides a unique insight into the lives of the mobile traders from Afghanistan who traverse Eurasia. Reflecting on over a decade of intensive ethnographic fieldwork, Magnus Marsden introduces readers to a dynamic yet historically durable universe of commercial and cultural connections. Through an exploration of the traders' networks, cultural and religious identities, as well as the nodes in which they operate, Marsden emphasises their ability to navigate Eurasia's geopolitical tensions and to forge transregional routes that channel significant flows of people, resources, and ideas. Beyond the Silk Roads will interest those seeking to understand contemporary iterations of the Silk Road within the context of geopolitics in the region. This title is also available as Open Access.

‘Beyond the Silks Roads is a timely, original, and deeply researched portrait of the role of Afghan traders in forging new and important linkages among regions in Asia and to global circuits of exchange. Marsden’s fascinating multi-sited ethnographic research brings this story to life, revealing an unexpected but crucial dimension of inter-Asian connections.’

Robert D. Crews - Stanford University

‘Marsden brilliantly depicts the dynamic and shifting networks of Afghanistan-based traders and how they work with multi-ethnic, multi-national partners. His riveting ethnography of how they establish trust and predictability in uncertain, far-flung environments matches in significance and depth Shelomo Goitein’s classic A Mediterranean Society, depicting the Cairo-based Jewish trading communities and networks of an earlier historical era.’

Dale F. Eickelman - Dartmouth College

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Contents

Beyond the Silk Roads
pp i-i
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Asian Connections - Series page
pp ii-ii
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Beyond the Silk Roads - Title page
pp iii-iii
Trade, Mobility and Geopolitics across Eurasia
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Copyright page
pp iv-iv
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Dedication
pp v-vi
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Contents
pp vii-vii
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Maps
pp viii-viii
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Acknowledgements
pp ix-xii
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Glossary
pp xiii-xvi
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Maps
pp xvii-xx
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Introduction: Beyond the Silk Roads
pp 1-32
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1 - ‘Take Your Help Away and Leave Us in Peace!’
pp 33-55
The Anthropology of Geopolitics as Lived
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2 - Inter-Asian Corridor of Connectivity (1): The Eurasian World – China, Russia, Ukraine and Western Europe
pp 56-85
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3 - Inter-Asian Corridor of Connectivity (2): West Asia – China, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey
pp 86-121
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4 - ‘Welcome to Yiwu, China International Trade City!’ Everyday Life in a Chinese Commercial Node
pp 122-161
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5 - Minorities, Commerce and the Legacy of Muslim Asia’s Urban Cosmopolitanism: Afghanistan’s Hindus and Sikhs
pp 162-188
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6 - An Alternative Eurasian Economic Geography: Afghanistan’s Role in Long-Distance Trade
pp 189-220
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7 - Afghan Restaurants in Inter-Asian Worlds: Prestige, Information Pooling and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Long-Distance Trade
pp 221-253
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Conclusion: Geopolitics, Critical Responsiveness and Navigational Agency in Eurasian Connectivity
pp 254-266
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Note on Fieldwork
pp 267-268
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References
pp 269-288
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Index
pp 289-301
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ASIAN CONNECTIONS - Series page
pp 302-304
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Beyond the Silk Roads

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Contents

Beyond the Silk Roads
pp i-i

Asian Connections - Series page
pp ii-ii

Beyond the Silk Roads - Title page
pp iii-iii

Copyright page
pp iv-iv

Dedication
pp v-vi

Contents
pp vii-vii

Maps
pp viii-viii

Acknowledgements
pp ix-xii

Glossary
pp xiii-xvi

Maps
pp xvii-xx

Introduction: Beyond the Silk Roads
pp 1-32

1 - ‘Take Your Help Away and Leave Us in Peace!’
pp 33-55

2 - Inter-Asian Corridor of Connectivity (1): The Eurasian World – China, Russia, Ukraine and Western Europe
pp 56-85

3 - Inter-Asian Corridor of Connectivity (2): West Asia – China, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey
pp 86-121

4 - ‘Welcome to Yiwu, China International Trade City!’ Everyday Life in a Chinese Commercial Node
pp 122-161

5 - Minorities, Commerce and the Legacy of Muslim Asia’s Urban Cosmopolitanism: Afghanistan’s Hindus and Sikhs
pp 162-188

6 - An Alternative Eurasian Economic Geography: Afghanistan’s Role in Long-Distance Trade
pp 189-220

7 - Afghan Restaurants in Inter-Asian Worlds: Prestige, Information Pooling and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Long-Distance Trade
pp 221-253

Conclusion: Geopolitics, Critical Responsiveness and Navigational Agency in Eurasian Connectivity
pp 254-266

Note on Fieldwork
pp 267-268

References
pp 269-288

Index
pp 289-301

ASIAN CONNECTIONS - Series page
pp 302-304

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Beyond the Silk Roads

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