In the twelfth episode, I speak to Sebastian Prange, Associate Professor of History, University of British Columbia on his recent book Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith in the Medieval Malabar Coast published by Cambridge University Press in 2018. Monsoon Islam traces the history of pre-modern Muslim merchants and traders who arrived on the Malabar Coast in Kerala between the 12th and 16th centuries and how these communities navigated and adjusted to changes in their local environments. The conversation begins by asking how Prange came to study the lives of these Muslim merchants. Then, it moves to understand what 'Monsoon Islam' means and why this conceptualisation helps in understanding this trans-oceanic history. Next, we cover the organization of the book that is divided across four spaces - port, mosque, palace and sea and how these realms shaped the formation and transmission of Islam across the Indian Ocean. We also explore the difficulties and pitfalls of fieldwork and archival work across the Malabar coast. The conversation ends by comparing the arrival of Islam in north and south India and the need to understand the social embeddedness of trade across the Indian Ocean.  Links Monsoon Islam - https://www.cambridge.org/sg/academic/subjects/history/south-asian-history/monsoon-islam-trade-and-faith-medieval-malabar-coast?format=HB&isbn=9781108424387#titleAwards_authors