Abstract
This policy overview draws upon two studies, one theoretical and one empirical, to explore lessons from medieval Indian Ocean trade for supporting ethnic tolerance in contemporary settings. The overview begins by sketching a model of inter-ethnic trade and violence in environments where there are 'local' and 'non-local' ethnic groups. The model suggests that three conditions are necessary to support peaceful coexistence between these groups over time: Complementarities between groups, a high cost to replicate or expropriate the source of another group's complementarity, and a mechanism to share the gains from inter-group exchange. The article then describes how these conditions were satisfied among Hindu and Muslim traders in medieval Indian ports from the rise of Islam to European ascendance in the 17th century. The article characterizes the institutions that emerged to bolster religious tolerance in these towns during the medieval period and that continued to support religious tolerance two centuries after the decline of Muslim dominance in overseas trade. Finally, the article draws lessons from the theory and India's institutional legacy to understand why ethnic tolerance fails and how tolerance may be fostered in contemporary settings.
Highlights
Little more than two centuries after the raid, the authorities of the re-built Somnath temple gave permission for a Muslim trader, Nur-ud-din Firuz of Hormuz, to found a mosque on temple lands
Instead of being repositories of Hindu-Muslim hatred, Somnath and other medieval port towns provide a long history of inter-ethnic tolerance that yield important lessons on how such hatreds may be overcome
Instead of being repositories of HinduMuslim hatred, Somnath and other medieval port towns provide a long history of inter-ethnic tolerance that yield important lessons on how such hatreds may be overcome
Summary
His objective was the wealthy Hindu temple city of Somnath on the coast of Gujarat. Because Hindus and Muslims in medieval ports had much to gain from exchange with one another, over the course of a millennium they developed a set of norms and organizations, or “institutions” that fostered between-group exchange.4 Many of these institutions continue to exist today, two centuries after the decline of Muslim-dominated Indian Ocean trade with the rise of European involvement.. This article draws upon two studies, one empirical, one theoretical, to explore the lessons that medieval Indian Ocean trade provide for supporting ethnic tolerance in contemporary settings.. The article draws lessons from the theory and India’s institutional legacy to understand why ethnic tolerance fails and how tolerance may be fostered in contemporary settings
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