All the Seas Were Ink

Traces the material life and movement of law, Islam, and constitutions, through the travels of Abu Bakar of Johor (1833–1895).

In this innovative history of the material and textual life of law, Iza R. Hussin explores how law travels. Through the itineraries of Abu Bakar, Sultan of Johor (1833–1895), she argues for a new understanding of Islamic constitutional history and the modern Muslim state in the shadow of empire.In this innovative history of the travels of law, Iza R. Hussin explores how law moves, what happens when it arrives, and how it gains its onward momentum and direction. Through the itineraries of Abu Bakar, Sultan of Johor (1833–1895), Hussin uncovers a world of sovereigns in the shadow of empire, from Hawaii to Singapore, Java to Japan, Delhi to Constantinople, Cairo to London. In his travels, Bakar navigated archipelagic and imperial logics of authority, chased sovereignty at sea, and translated Islam across a shifting global landscape. These itineraries gave rise to Southeast Asia's first constitution, and the world's longest-running continuous experiment in modern Islamic constitutionalism, revealing histories of imperialism and international law, and forgotten genealogies of sovereignty, constitutionalism, and Asian internationalism. Through the compelling story of Abu Bakar's travels, Hussin argues for a new understanding of the imperial international order, Islamic constitutional history, and the making of the modern Muslim state.