Opening Remarks: Abdul Sheriff on Slaves in Indian Ocean Histories beyond Atlantic and Plural Society Models

Engseng Ho is a professor of anthropology and history at Duke University, and the Muhammad Alagil Distinguished Visiting Professor of Arabia Asia Studies at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. He is a leading scholar in transnational anthropology, history and Muslim societies, Arab diasporas, and the Indian Ocean, with research expertise in Arabia, coastal South Asia, and maritime Southeast Asia. He is coeditor of the Asian Connections book series at Cambridge University Press and serves on the editorial boards of journals such as American Anthropologist, Comparative Studies in Society and History, and History and Anthropology. He was previously a professor of anthropology, Harvard University; senior scholar, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies; country and profile writer, the Economist Group; International Economist, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation/Monetary Authority of Singapore; and director, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. He was educated at the Penang Free School, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago.