Old World Trade Diasporas

• In Event: Who Moves? Diasporas, Forced & Voluntary Migration, and Electoral Consequences

Abstract

While trade diasporas have existed since antiquity, during the medieval and early modern periods improved seafaring technologies provided opportunities for the development of "communities of merchants living among aliens in associated networks" (Curtin 1984, 3). Given the fundamental challenges associated with long-distance trade, including difficulties associated with the movement of information, credit and goods, trade diasporas helped to knit together diverse communities through commerce and connection, where shared ethnicity might serve as a way to bind distant populations. Importantly, merchant diasporas provided connections to trustworthy local agents, facilitating emergent forms of capitalism.

This paper tackles the question of what explains worldwide, historical patterns of trade diaspora dispersal? We collect data on the locations of trade diaspora communities across Eurasia between 600 and 1600 CE, a time period that spans Late Antiquity to the "Age of Exploration." Our analysis focuses on this period as we are particularly interested in understanding the global economy before European colonial hegemony. The patterns we observe suggest that diaspora communities tend to gravitate toward the wealthy societies of Asia, especially China. On the other hand China, the wealthiest society of the premodern period tend to create diaspora communities with distinct natural resources since there are not global cities that offered superior luxury goods. Our analysis draws attention to a scholarly tradition that emphasizes the importance of Eastern societies in the premodern world economy. Rather than assuming Europe's preeminent role, we have sought to operationalize the push and pull factors leading people to move great distances to engage in political, economic and cultural encounters with others.

We argue that patterns of trade diaspora formation exhibit distinctive patterns. The relative wealth of eastern societies, particularly as found in China and -- to a lesser extent -- India, attracted foreign trading diaspora communities. Middle Eastern societies simultaneously served an important middleman role, linking East and West for centuries (Blaydes and Paik 2020). Using a gravity model, we find that trade diasporas tend to be pulled toward wealthy Eastern cities; on the other hand, trade diasporas are not drawn to relatively poor European cities. Why didn't Muslims want to trade in Europe, not to mention Chinese and Indians? According to Constable (2003, 328), "there was apparently little to draw Muslim traders to Europe, and several factors -- including disinclination and inconvenience -- to keep them away."

Our analysis focuses on the the period between 600 and 1600 as we are interested in understanding the global economy in the period before European colonial hegemony. In this sense, our work has the impact of providing greater balance to the historical, empirical study of the world. The answer that we provide reinforces a scholarly tradition that emphasizes the importance of Eastern societies in the premodern world economy. In this sense, our work has the impact of providing greater balance to the historical, empirical study of the world. Rather than assuming Europe's preeminent role, we have sought to operationalize the push and pull factors leading people to move great distances to engage in political, economic and cultural encounters with others.

Authors

• Lisa Blaydes, Stanford University

• Christopher Paik, New York University Abu Dhabi