For centuries, the Bay of Bengal served as a maritime highway between India and China, and then as a battleground for European empires, all while being shaped by monsoons and human migration. Today, rising waters leave the Bay of Bengal's shores especially vulnerable to climate change, while its location makes it central to struggles over Asia's future. Crossing the Bay of Bengal: The Furies of Nature and the Fortunes of Migrants places this region at the heart of world history, integrating human and environmental history. Mining a wealth of sources, Sunil Amrith, Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, gives a revelatory and stirring new account of the Bay and those who have inhabited it.

On July 19, Professor Amrith will discuss his book, Crossing the Bay of Bengal, and share his insights into the history of this region and potential implications for the future. Recently translated into Chinese, the book was awarded the American Historical Association's John F. Richards Prize in South Asian History and was selected as an Editor's Choice title by the New York Times Book Review.