Editorial Introduction

Abstract

The Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies (JIOWS) is a multidisciplinary, open access journal that accepts articles on all aspects of the history and culture of the Indian Ocean World (IOW) – a macro-region that runs from Africa to the Far East, and includes the Indian Ocean, Indonesian and China seas and their continental hinterlands.This inaugural issue focuses on various instances of interaction in the IOW. From commercial exchange between otherwise opposing commercial enterprises, to personal interactions between Europeans and peoples indigenous to the IOW, to the experiences and strategies of slaves, the issue explores various instances in which categories of “foreign” and “indigenous” come into alignment or conflict in historiography, colonial narratives, or commercial enterprises.