This original collection brings islands to the fore in a growing body of scholarship on the Indian Ocean, examining them as hubs or points of convergence and divergence in a world of maritime movements and exchanges. Straddling history and anthropology and grounded in the framework of connectivity, the book tackles central themes such as smallness, translocality, and “the island factor.” It moves to the farthest reaches of the region, with a rich variety of case studies on the Swahili-Comorian world, the Maldives, Indonesia, and more. With remarkable breadth and cohesion, these essays capture the circulations of people, goods, rituals, sociocultural practices, and ideas that constitute the Indian Ocean world. Together, they take up “islandness” as an explicit empirical and methodological issue as few have done before.

“Connectivity in Motion is a rare achievement. Bringing together a rich variety of original perspectives, this collection takes the cutting-edge concept of connectivity as its anchor, applying it to the role of Indian Ocean islands. This is an innovative move, and the result is timely and relevant to scholars across many disciplines, including anthropology and geography. Emerging from a uniquely close cooperation between historians and anthropologists, the fascinating case studies presented here will advance new methodologies for studying maritime regions.” (Julia Verne, Professor of Geography, University of Bonn, Germany)

Expands the scope of Indian Ocean studies with a uniquely broad geographical frame Applies the concept of connectivity to the role of islands in the Indian Ocean world Employs a deeply interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon history, anthropology, and ethnography Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras