European colonisation of Southeast Asia tightening Turkish control and eventual shut down of the Eastern Mediterranean gateways into Asia first prompted Portuguese, and later Spanish and Dutch sea voyagers to ship around Africa in search of new trading routes and business opportunities. Niccolò de' Conti arrived in Southeast Asia as the earliest documented European in the early 15th century. By 1498 Vasco da Gama, who had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, established the first direct sea route from Europe to India. Central among the various plannings was to establish direct and permanent trade of the highly priced spices, that were native to Southeast
Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" book series -“Transcultural Research: Heidelberg Studies on Asia and Europe in a Global Context” and “Heidelberg Transcultural Studies” – as well as the e-journal “Transcultural Studies”. All of them are peer-reviewed. The Master of Arts program "Transcultural Studies" started in the winter term 2011/12 at Heidelberg University and combines interdisciplinary education with a transcultural focus. Language of instruction is English. The "Graduate Programme for Transcultural Studies" offers a structured doctoral program within the interdisciplinary research environment of the Cluster. Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" The Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context"