Amazon.com description: Product Description: The present volume is a collection of papers originally presented for the concluding conference of the research project "The East Asian 'Mediterranean' - Maritime Crossroads of Culture, Commerce and Human Migration," held at Munich University from November 2-3, 2007. The papers in this volume have been arranged according to thematic sections, that is "Mediterranean Seas - from East Asia to East Africa", "Merchants and merchant networks", "Commodities and transport", and finally "Trade parameters and perceptions" - each section covering a different aspect of trade, diplomacy and perceptions across and within the East Asian and Asian waters. In order to show the variety and the different qualities of interaction and exchange relations, the editor has selected case studies with a main focus lying on Sino-Japanese, Sino-Ryu-kyu - an, and Japanese-Korean relations, as well as the involvement of Muslim merchants in the Asian waters. The volume in particular draws the readers' attention to the necessity and the advantages of international cooperation and interaction when investigating topics of Asian history.