Author: Raziuddin Aquil
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 268
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9780198069157
Description
This book shows how medieval north Indian society under the Afghans was shaped by exchanges between religion, culture, and politics during the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries.
Questioning the overemphasis on the Sultanate and Mughal periods in Indian history writing, it explores Afghan attempts at empire-building under Sher Shah Sur, the incorporation of the Rajputs in the Afghan imperial project, as well as prevalent ideals and institutions of governance.
Focusing on interconnections between religion and politics, it underlines the role of Sufism in the social and political life of the time, and its contributions to religious syncretism and cultural synthesis.
This book will interest student and scholars of Medieval Indian history as well as those interested in Islamic, religious, and cultural studies.
COMMENT:
'…a significant contribution to the understanding of role of Sufis and their influence not only on rulers but also on Hindu-Muslim relations. The book is a result of original painstaking research.'
—Asghar Ali Engineer, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
Contents
Preface to the Paperback Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Introduction:
The Study of Medieval Indian History
PART I:
Struggle for Power and Dominance
1. The Making of a Badshah:
Emergence of Sher Shah Sur
2. Mughal-Afghan Interface:
Battles and Mobilization
PART II:
Political Ideals and Institutions
3. Norms of Governance and Aspects of Administration
4. The Afghans and the Rajputs: Conflicts
And Accommodation
PART III:
Religion, Politics, and Society
5. The Political and the Sufic Wilayat
6. Sufi Traditions and Hindu - Muslim Interactions
Conclusion
Select Bibliography
Index