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When I fi rst began to conceive of this project as a graduate student at Duke University, I benefi ted from learning under the shade of two great masters of the craft: Ed Balleisen, to whom I owe my appreciation for all things legal and economic; and Engseng Ho, who showed me how to navigate the stormy waters of Indian Ocean history, but also taught me how to read and how to imagine. If I have done anything well in this book, it is because of the two of them. I also benefi ted from the guidance of a number of other teachers, both at Duke and beyond. Bruce Hall asked the right questions at the right time; Timur Kuran guided me through the thickets of economic history while including me in his own work; Janet Ewald took a chance on me when I still had not yet found my sea legs; and the late Jonathan Ocko read and encouraged my work with his usual cheer and sense of humor. Sebouh Aslanian read the manuscript, gave me his usual sharp insight, and continues to support me in ways that I can only call humbling. Barbara Welke pushed me to refi ne my thinking from early on, but also showed me how to strike a balance between rigor and generosity. And Michael Gilsenan read, asked questions, wondered, exclaimed, and prodded; I am lucky to know him. Over the course of the last decade or so, I got to know people who would forever change the way I think, read, and write. Daniel Bessner, Jatin Dua, Mitch Fraas, Paul Johstono, Ameem Lutfi , Robert Penner, Serkan Yolacan, and many others have left more of an imprint on this project – and on my life – than they could possibly know. Andrew Byers, Tamara Extian- Babiuk, Julia Gaffi eld, Doug Leonard, and Willeke Sandler all endured more of my work than anyone should ever have to, and their company made the writing process much more enjoyable than it would have otherwise been.