Under Empire

Michael Laffan’s masterly account of the “lives and loyalties” of Muslims who lived across the Indian Ocean world during the heyday of second British empire opens many new vistas. Ambitious in its scope, it is also scrupulous in its attention to sources in multiple languages. This is an impressive book that confirms the author’s reputation as an important interpreter of Indian Ocean history. – Sanjay Subrahmanyam, author of Empires Between Islam and Christianity, 1500-1800Under Empire is a stunning book, packed with memorable characters whose itineraries crossed political and cultural boundaries. Laffan ranges across space and time to illuminate shifting notions of Muslim belonging across the Indian Ocean. Drawing on a dazzling range of texts and archives, he finds a fresh perspective on the making and unmaking of modern empires. – Sunil Amrith, author of Unruly Waters: How Rains, Rivers, Coasts, and Seas Have Shaped Asia’s History

Michael Francis Laffan is professor of history and Paula Chow Chair in International and Regional Studies at Princeton University. He is the author of Islamic Nationhood and Colonial Indonesia (2003) and The Makings of Indonesian Islam (2011) as well as the editor of Belonging Across the Bay of Bengal (2017).