Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World [Paperback]

This 2005 book looks at domestic life and the place of women in the Mughal court of the sixteenth century.Ruby Lal explores domestic life and the place of women in the Mughal court of the sixteenth century. Challenging traditional interpretations of the haram that portrayed a world of seclusion and sexual exploitation, the author reveals a complex society where noble men and women negotiated their everyday life and political affairs in the 'inner' chambers as well as the 'outer' courts. Using Ottoman and Safavid histories as a counterpoint, she demonstrates the richness and ambiguity of the Mughal haram--pivotal in the transition to institutionalisation and imperial excellence.Ruby Lal explores domestic life and the place of women in the Mughal court of the sixteenth century. Challenging traditional interpretations of the haram that portrayed a world of seclusion and sexual exploitation, the author reveals a complex society where noble men and women negotiated their everyday life and political affairs in the 'inner' chambers as well as the 'outer' courts. Using Ottoman and Safavid histories as a counterpoint, she demonstrates the richness and ambiguity of the Mughal haram--pivotal in the transition to institutionalisation and imperial excellence.Ruby Lal explores domestic life and the place of women in the Mughal court of the sixteenth century. Challenging traditional, orientalist interpretations of the haram that have portrayed a domestic world of seclusion and sexual exploitation, she reveals a complex society where noble men and women negotiated their everyday life and public-political affairs. Combining Ottoman and Safavid histories, she demonstrates the richness as well as ambiguity of the Mughal haram, which was pivotal in the transition to institutionalization and imperial excellence.1. Introduction; 2. A genealogy of the Mughal haram; 3. The question of the archive: the challenge of a princess's memoir; 4. The making of Mughal court society; 5. Where was thel31