ABSTRACT
This introduction surveys the literature on shipping in the Indian Ocean and attempts to highlight the major concerns that have prevailed. A distinction may perhaps be made between shipping and maritime trade, though the demarcation is no doubt fine and often the lines get blurred, as sometimes there is evidence for the nakhoda or master mariner transporting his own commodities for trade. The theme may be studied from two perspectives, the two not being mutually exclusive: one, the communities involved in the construction and sailing of water-craft; and second, the technology of the craft itself. While the second approach has had a relatively larger following, the literature on boat-building and sailing communities continues to be inadequate. An aspect that has seldom been dealt with earlier and one that this volume addresses is shipping in the creation of trans-regional communities and cultures. It is here that the contributions in this volume diverge from the trodden path.
