Author: Pamila Gupta, Isabel Hofmeyr, Michael Pearson.

World attention is increasingly turning towards the region of the Indian Ocean as the coming strategic arena of the 21st century. India and China, the new economic superpowers, exert palpable global influence while also seeking control of shipping lanes and oil supplies, as well as a dominance in African markets and minerals. Al-Qaida continues to operate around the Indian Ocean littoral in Tanzania, Kenya, Comoros, Indonesia, and Yemen. The audacious Somali pirates astound international media audiences. As an arena in which these developments intersect, the Indian Ocean offers a privileged vantage point from which to track a changing world order. This collection of essays captures the complexities of these emerging Indian Ocean realities. What are the links, circuits, and exchanges that both unite and divide different regions? How does one factor Africa into this Ocean world? The essays offer rich interdisciplinary perspectives and examine the interactions between Africa and India.