The Mughal Harem

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This article is about a book. For the institution, see Mughal Harem.

The Mughal Harem is a book by historian K.S. Lal published in 1988 about the Mughal Harem.[1]

Contents[]

Based on contemporary sources, Lal studies queens, princesses, dancing girls, and slaves who belonged to Mughal harem from 15th to 18th century.[2] The political roles of Nur Jahan, Jahanara and Roshanara are described in detail.[2]

Reception[]

A. Jan Qaiser of Aligarh Muslim University (Indian Historical Review, New Delhi, 1991) was very dismissive of the book.[a] noted Lal's work to be one of the few academic accounts on the topic but laden with oriental tropes of sexuality and seclusion.[4] Karuna Sharma shares Ruby Lal's concerns; K. S. Lal's was the first comprehensive study of the subject but it exoticized the Harem and failed to account for members, who did not have any sexual role.[5]

Gianna Carotenuto noted the work to be laced with "salacious tales and the sexy exploits of mythic heroes and heroines".[1] Lal's approach was intended to reinforce the oriental reputation of harem as a haven of sexual extremes and intrigues, and his laments about the evils of Harem being siphoned onto the society were reflective of personal and political agendas.[1] remarks that Lal treats Muslims as a "hermetically sealed" category, leading to a communalised historiography that serves a political purpose.[6] Harbans Mukhia finds Lal's account descriptive but stereotypical.[7]

In a review for the Bulletin of the School of Oriental & African Studies, A. A. Powell noted Lal's The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India (1992) to be "crude propaganda" disguised as academic history; he went on to note that its conclusion of the Mughals being responsible for religious persecution and socioeconomic exploitation of Hindus were in tune with Lal's recent publications including The Mughal Harem.[8] Irfan Habib concurs with the assessment of Chatterjee and Powell.

Notes[]

  1. ^ K. S. Lal responded by pointing out that Professor M. Athar Ali of Aligarh university had arrived at the same conclusions separately.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Carotenuto, Gianna M. (2009). Domesticating the harem: Reconsidering the zenana and representations of elite Indian women in colonial painting and photography of India, 1830–1920 (Thesis). University of California, Los Angeles. p. 59, 61-62.
  2. ^ a b Tahera Aftab (2008). Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women: An Annotated Bibliography & Research Guide. BRILL. p. 45. ISBN 90-04-15849-9.
  3. ^ K.S. Lal. In "Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India" (1999) ISBN 81-86471-72-3
  4. ^ Lal, Ruby (2004). "Historicizing the Harem: The Challenge of a Princess's Memoir". Feminist Studies. 30 (3): 592. doi:10.2307/20458986. ISSN 0046-3663.
  5. ^ Sharma, Karuna (2009-07-10). "A Visit to the Mughal Harem: Lives of Royal Women". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies: 156. doi:10.1080/00856400903049457.
  6. ^ Chatterjee, Indrani (1996). Slavery and the household in Bengal, 1770-1880 (Thesis). School of Oriental and African Studies. p. 24.
  7. ^ Harbans, Mukhia (2004), "Select Bibliography", The Mughals of India, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, p. 188, doi:10.1002/9780470758304.biblio, ISBN 978-0-470-75830-4
  8. ^ Powell, A. A. (June 1995). "K. S. Lal: The legacy of Muslim rule in India, vi, 406 pp. New Delhi, Aditya Prakashan, 1992". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 58 (2): 397–398. doi:10.1017/S0041977X0001123X. ISSN 1474-0699.
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