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, Abu 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.

‘Showcasing her innovative approach to law’s travels, Hussin merges masterful storytelling and deft analysis to map the global itineraries of a constitution. Deeply original and engaging, All the Seas Were Ink clinches the case for shifting Europe out of the centre of the history of international law and order.’

Lauren Benton - author of They Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence

‘All the Seas Were Ink reorients our understanding of the making of the modern Islamic political thought as well as the global norms of sovereignty, self-determination, and legal equality by focusing on the overlooked contributions of reformist Malay rulers such as Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor. The epistemic agency and creativity of Muslim sovereigns of Southeast Asia who refashioned their legitimacy in conversation with Ottoman constitutionalism, British imperial liberalism, and inter-Asian worldmaking imaginaries tell us a more accurate intellectual genealogy of the contemporary global order than the dominant narratives of the end of empire. All the Seas Were Ink reorients our understanding of the making of modern Islamic political thought as well as the global norms of sovereignty, self-determination, and legal equality by focusing on the overlooked contributions of reformist Malay rulers such as Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor. Iza Hussin’s masterful storytelling and theoretical insights show us that the decolonization of the world was partly achieved by those who did ‘not run away from empire, but rather through it.’’

Cemil Aydin - author of The Idea of the Muslim World: A Global Intellectual History

‘Hussin puts the micro-optic on the Sultan of Johor as he navigates the world of Asian and Western empires. What emerges is a refreshing, textured, and influential account of the making of a modern Islamic state in Southeast Asia. A brilliant and thrilling reading for scholars of global history.’

Seema Alavi - author of Sovereigns of the Sea: Omani Ambition in the Age of Empire