description Engseng Ho Overview
Engseng Ho is an anthropologist and historian whose research traces the Hadhrami diaspora from Yemen across the Indian Ocean, examining centuries of migration, trade, and religious exchange connecting Arabia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. His book "The Graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility across the Indian Ocean" (2006) received multiple academic awards and demonstrates how genealogies, saints' tombs, and family histories illuminate patterns of movement and settlement among Hadhrami migrants. Ho has held positions at Duke University and the National University of Singapore, and his work integrates anthropological and historical methods.
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What is Engseng Ho's book The Graves of Tarim about?
The Graves of Tarim traces the Hadhrami diaspora from Yemen across the Indian Ocean over several centuries, examining how genealogy, burial practices, and Sufi Islam shaped identity among migrants in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Published by the University of California Press, it is considered a landmark work in Indian Ocean studies and diaspora scholarship.
Where does Engseng Ho teach?
Engseng Ho has held a professorship at Duke University, with cross-appointments reflecting his research spanning anthropology and history. His position at Duke's department allows him to bridge Middle East, South Asian, and Southeast Asian studies in a way few other institutions accommodate.
Who were the Hadhrami diaspora that Engseng Ho writes about?
The Hadhramis were migrants from the Hadhramaut region of southern Yemen who traveled across the Indian Ocean for centuries, establishing communities in Indonesia, Singapore, India's Malabar Coast, and East Africa. Ho's research demonstrates how they maintained trade, kinship, and religious networks tying these regions back to Arabia.
How does Engseng Ho's approach differ from traditional area studies?
Ho treats the Indian Ocean as a single interconnected region rather than studying Arabia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia in isolation, challenging the boundaries of conventional area studies. His methodology combines anthropological fieldwork with historical genealogies, reading practices that cross the disciplines of history, anthropology, and Islamic studies.
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