International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 7, Issue 3 (May-June 2025) Submit your research before last 3 days of June to publish your research paper in the issue of May-June.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 7 Issue 3
May-June 2025

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Colonial Commerce and Cultural Exchange: Multicultural Dynamics in the Opium Trade Era of River of Smoke

Author(s) Mr. D. Jeffrey Joseph Joseph, Dr. C. Dhanabal
Country India
Abstract In the years preceding the First Opium War, Amitav Ghosh’s River of Smoke, the second book in the Ibis Trilogy, deftly examines the multicultural dynamics of the early 19th-century opium traffic, mainly in Canton (present-day Guangzhou). This historical fiction explores the relationships between migration, trade, and cultural exchange, presenting a dynamic and varied civilization influenced by international trade networks. The novel centers on Fanqui Town, a commercial community where Chinese and international traders coexist and foster a linguistic, cultural, and ideological melting pot. Characters from a variety of geographic and cultural origins are included in the story, including Ah Fatt, Bahram’s mixed-heritage son; Neel Rattan Halder, a Bengali zamindar who became a Munshi; and Bahram Modi, a Parsi opium seller. Ghosh explores issues of cultural hybridity, economic exploitation, and imperialism through these characters. Both a unifying and a divisive force, the opium trade exposed the terrible human and societal costs of this trade while uniting China and India behind British colonial objectives. To recreate the intricacies of the time period, Ghosh uses a variety of storytelling approaches, including letters, journals, and dialogues, along with extensive historical background. The book emphasizes the opium trade’s significant cultural ramifications in addition to its economic drivers. River of Smoke provides a realistic depiction of the early phases of globalization and its effects on heterogeneous cultures by fusing human narratives with more general historical events. This piece emphasizes how migration and trade both strengthen colonial hierarchies and promote cross-cultural exchange.
Keywords migration, trade, cultural exchange, hybridity, civilization, imperialism
Field Arts
Published In Volume 7, Issue 2, March-April 2025
Published On 2025-04-27
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.42782
Short DOI https://doi.org/g9gvks
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 2Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 1Cover Page Vol 6 Isu 6

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com