Dominators or dominated? Muslim traders in South Western India

Abstract

This article examines how, during the pre-Portuguese period, Muslim merchants dominated trading activities in South Western India, and played a significant role in polity, economy and society of the region. These Muslims traders obtained support from the local ruling families. With the emergence of the Portuguese, however, the dominant position of the Muslims changed significantly. Portuguese domination, particularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, contributed to the relative decline of Muslim economic and political authority in South Western India.