Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World

Journal of the American Oriental Society, The, Oct-Dec, 2006 by Angma D. Jhala

In part this may be due to the sources available and the dearth of women's histories of that period.Lal emphasizes numerous times that she is re-addressing old sources that have not been read with regard to a domestic history of the carly Mughal period, rather than mining the archieve for hitherto undiscovered material. Still the reader years for more access to the authentic and undiluted voices of women--even if taken directly from male accounts. Her reading, while bringing attention to women, still sidelines them in the imperial project of dominion. Nonetheless, these are small points beside Lal's larger contribution. This is an important book on early Mughal rule and the role of the domestic in shattering the rigid lines between the public and private.

ANGMA D. JHALA UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD