Explore the complex foundations of knowledge during the East India Company’s rise in early modern Asia. This vital study uncovers the intricate connections between scholarship, patronage, diplomacy, and trade that shaped colonial settlement. Discover how innovative works in natural history, medicine, and ethnography emerged amidst power struggles across the Indian Ocean. Essential for historians and students of colonial India, this book reveals the crucial role of diverse actors, including non-elites, in the dynamic transfer of learning and skills.