My PhD project examines shipboard life on Indo-Arabic vessels in the Indian Ocean from 830 to 1680 AD. I draw on theories from critical cultural geography and new materialism to interpret the ship as a social, political, and multicultural space—as well as a dynamic and evolving process. The Indian Ocean provides a framework to explore global connectivity without centering European actors. I am particularly interested in how ships functioned as compressed, mobile microcosms reflecting the broader cultural and social landscapes of the regions they traversed.  I will analyze a variety of textual, pictorial and archaeological sources, to get a sense of how shipboard lives were ordered and how ships were construed as socio-political spaces. This approach allows me to investigate alternative maritime histories and the everyday lived experiences of seafarers beyond dominant historical narratives.