The book in hand proposes to fill the gap for students, researchers and teachers alike who need certain writings but are never able to lay their hands on them or find it extremely difficult to source them. A teacher feels his attempt to educate the student frustrated if he is not able to make the writings available to students.
What has been often labeled as medieval or Mughal period in Indian history seems to be running out of steam, and arguments. While the British colonial and nationalist historians invented a suitable imperial periodization of Hindu, Muslim and British periods in Indian history roughly coinciding with what was later called ancient, medieval and modern. It was always debatable as to what defined and constituted as medieval. Was it same as 'Muslim' period in Indian history or did medieval in India had essential ingredients of European medievalism.
The book has seminal writings from this period which are most useful to students of the period and have been collected with an eye over various syllabuses of the universities. From B.R. Gorver' iconic article on land rights in Mughal India published in the first volume of IESHR to Irfan Habib's path breaking article on technology in the Mughal Empire it as many such nostalgically useful writings which define the period and take the debate forward. |
