Trade and Disruption in the Western Malay Archipelago in the 17th century

Abstract: The present article discusses issues surrounding trade in the Malay Archipelago during the seventeenth century. It focuses on how European agents, especially the Dutch East India Company (VOC), disrupted the political structures of their treaty partners and allies. Since many readers will be unfamiliar with early modern Southeast Asian trade and statecraft, Part I introduces and discusses six core concepts that stake out the values, practices, and structures of polities in the region with an eye on providing the political and commercial context discussed in the second half of the article. Part II then turns to explore how certain legal instruments and policies, specifically however written treaties, maritime passes, reliance on fixed prices, and exclusive trading deals bypassed local social hierarchies and destabilized politico-economic institutions. Taken together, these hindered the ability of rulers to raise sufficient revenues, discharge their traditional duties, and meet the material needs of their followers.