HSTAS 402: History of Medieval and Mughal South Asia
Prof. Purnima Dhavan
SMI 006 (basement), History mailboxes are in SMI 315
Office ph. 206-616-5298
Office hours: Friday 12-2
Winter Quarter 08
Course Website:
Class Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-3:20 pm, Gould 435
The period between 1200-1750 CE in South Asia was dominated by the creation and unraveling of two major political formations: the early Sultanates and the Mughal Empire. This class will explore how the political and cultural foundations of these systems were established, the collaboration and resistance with which they were met by their subjects, and their eventual demise. In doing so, we will explore not only the elite realm of Imperial politics and Hindu and Muslim religious scholars, but also the daily life of peasants, soldiers, women, ascetics, poets, and wanderers in Early Modern South Asia. We will probe how these intersecting lives and communities created the vibrant trading networks, religious communities, rebellions, and vernacular cultures of the early modern period.
The learning goals for this class include:
- Discerning how histories are written across different cultures and ages—thinking about intentions of authors, common methodologies, intended audience of each work, the ways in which history has been used—both in the past and in the present.
- Distinguishing between strong and weak historical arguments through a close analysis of primary and secondary texts
- Learning to craft our own historical arguments in discussion and writing assignments
Class Format and Effective Preparation
This class is built around two interactive lectures a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, accompanied by a discussion of the assigned texts for those days. Whenever possible, questions to help you focus your reading will be assigned for each text (you will download these from the class website through the “Questions” link). During lecture I will draw attention to specific issues and themes for each unit so that the discussion on it will be focused. Please be prepared for this. Outlines and Slides for lectures will be posted on the class website. This will be a bare-bones outline with names and dates, it is your responsibility to take notes for other relevant material discussed in class. Please pay attention to the assigned questions for each reading as they will be the building blocks for paper assignments and the exams. Since lectures are interactive—do not be passive. You are not expected to have any prior knowledge of South Asian history, however a positive attitude and curiosity will be most helpful.
You will be best prepared for class if you take detailed notes during lectures, ask questions, and participate fully in class discussion. Writing down notes from the readings and for the assigned questions along with references to page numbers in the text will be useful to you since it will enable you to participate effectively in class, but also provide useful information for papers and tests. If at any point you find yourself struggling please come see me as soon as possible.
Please Note: This is the only paper copy of the syllabus you will get. In the future any changes made to the readings/due dates/assignments will be made on the online version of the syllabus.
Grading: There are two grading tracks for this class, one which requires 2 shorter papers for the majority of students, and one with a larger research paper for those taking the class for graduate work, for the writing credit, or for those who would like to acquire a more in-depth understanding of a particular historical issue related to this class. Once you have selected a particular track (By wk. 3) you may not switch back. All research projects should be created in consultation with me to ensure that you chose projects that can be finished in time. See the deadlines for the different parts of the research paper requirement in the syllabus, and for different components of the research project below. Your grading for this class will be as follows—
- 2 short analytical papers about 5 p—20% each; or Research Paper 40%
- Midterm exam (essay and IDs)—25%
- Final Exam (essay and IDs)—25%
- Class participation, including discussion—10%
The Research paper grade is as follows—5% for research proposal, thesis, and annotated bibliography of 5 academic sources (books or articles), 10% for complete Rough Draft due the end of Week 8; 25% for Final draft due the last day of class. See details on class website under “assignments” link.
Please note that you will be given detailed instructions for each assigned paper, follow them closely. These assignment pages will be posted to the class website. You are encouraged to prepare a rough draft for each paper, while this is not required, it is encouraged. You can get help from the HistoryWritingCenter (see class website). I will also meet individually with each student who contacts me ahead of time to go over drafts until 3 days before the final draft is due. Please come to me with a full or partial draft and schedule at least 30-45 minutes for the meeting. Our discussion will be most helpful to you IF you have a longer draft. Scheduling this time is your responsibility, so plan ahead. Electronic copies of final papers/take home exams will not be accepted. Please be sure to submit only paper copies.
Class participation is based on your actual participation in class discussion and also on activities in select lectures. Please try to prepare for each class by carefully reading the assigned texts, preparing responses to assigned questions, and respectfully engaging with your classmates. Since frequent absences from class will not permit me to evaluate your participation grade, be aware that many absences without a valid and documented excuse such as doctor’s or coach’s note will impact your grade negatively. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance record every day.
Academic Honesty: I uphold the University of Washington policy regarding academic honest as outlined in the Student Conduct Code and the consequences described therein. Since this class is centered on helping you develop and articulate your ideas, you should never present somebody else’s ideas as your own. Two simple guidelines for avoiding unintentional plagiarism is by:
1)Always quote other people’s works accurately and
2)ALWAYS cite your source. Even if you are not directly quoting someone, i.e putting it into your own words, you must still cite this source. When in doubt, it is always better to overuse citations. This class will only accept work done using Chicago Style citations. A quick guide to Chicago Styles can be found at the UW library website ( the larger manual is in the reference section of each library.
3)Remember to acknowledge help that you might have received from writing center tutors, in-class reviewers, or any other person who might have contributed significantly to your argument. (Anything beyond fixing spelling mistakes/grammatical errors)
Policy for late work: Your assignments are due on the dates noted in the syllabus during class time. Any work turned in late will lose 10% of its grade for each 24 hour period, starting from the end of class or the assigned end time for the paper. After 5 days, when the value of the assignment has lost 50% of its value, no further deductions will be made. All late papers must be turned in by the last class day of the quarter in order to be graded.
Please let me know as soon as possible if you have a disability and desire accommodation.
Assigned texts:
There are two assigned texts for this class:
- John F. Richards, The New Cambridge History of India, I.5: The Mughal Empire, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, reprint, 2004.
- Readings from the paper coursepack (handouts with questions are online).
The address for the online reader is on the first page of this syllabus. Please make sure you download and/or print out the readings well ahead of time to avoid last-minute technological problems.
You will need a username and password for this website—see website handout. Please do not distribute/alter/ or misuse the texts or violate the fair use copyright standard. The website works best with the explorer browser and with Microsoft Word documents. To avoid problems with crashes, slow connections off campus, and security issues, you might want to save the readings on to a storage device while you are on campus and print them out at leisure. Please contact me ASAP if you have problems opening any of the readings.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Week 1: Introduction to pre-Mughal South Asia
Monday, Jan 4—introduction to course: South Asian geography, cultural zones, languages, religion, and society at the beginning of the Sultanate period.
Analyzing stereotypes and myths—Ghaznavid/Ghurid invasions v. chola “imperium”
Wednesday, Jan 6—Read Rizvi primarily as outline for events, be prepared to discuss Al-Biruni. Please note, unless otherwise stated in this syllabus, the readings from the course pack are titled with the author’s last name.
- “Rizvi1” The chapter on the Ghaznavids by S. A. A. Rizvi from The Wonder that was India, Part II, (Allahabad: Rupa and Co. 1997), 12-33.
- “Alberuni,” in Alberuni’s India, Vol. I and II, ed. Edward C. Sachau, (Delhi: Low Price Publications, 1989), p. 17-32.
Week 2: Earlier patterns of state craft and ethics
Monday, Jan 11—The foundations of the Sultanate—court life and customs, administrative reforms, the problems of the chehelgan; Nizam-ud din Auliya and the impact of Sufis—
Sunil Kumar, “Assertions of Authority: A Study of the Discursive Statements of Two Sultans of Delhi,” in The Making of Indo-Persian Culture, Indian and French Studies, eds. Muzaffar Alam, Francoise ‘Nalini’ Delvoye, Marc Gaborieau, (New Delhi: Manohar, 2000), p. 37-65.
Wednesday, Jan 13—
Lecture—political, social, and religious authority in the Sultanate period
Linda Hess, introduction, The Bijak of Kabir, trans. By Linda Hess and Shukhdeo Singh, (New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 2002), p.3-33.
Week 3—Please start revising Paper 1 drafts, or consult with me about Research Projects.
Monday—Jan 18, MLK day—No class, assignment read and answer questions for Wed. Khaliq Ahmad Nizami, “Isami” from On History and Historians of Medieval India, (Delhi: Mushiram Manoharlal, 1983), 107-123.
Wed. Jan 20—Deccan Sultanates and Vijaynagar, Phillip B. Wagoner, "Sultan among Hindu Kings: Dress, Titles, and the Islamicization of Hindu Culture at Vijayanagara,” in Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 55, No. 4. (Nov.,1996), pp. 851-880.
Paper 1/Research Proposal due (for those choosing Option 2) Tuesday, Jan 26 in my office by 5 pm. Please slip under door if I am not present.
Week 4—Foundations of the Mughal Empire, Legacy of Sultanate and Rajput styles
Monday, Jan 25—South Asia at the eve of the Mughal invasion, Babur and Humayun
Read Richards, p. 1-57,
Turn in papers by 5pm Tuesday, Jan, 26.
Wednesday, Jan 27—Akbar, Read Richards, p. 57-93.
Week 5: Jahangir and the Political/Cultural Transition from Akbar’s Rule
Monday, Feb. 1—Jahangir, Richards, Ch. 5
Wednesday, Feb 3—Jahangir, Art and Rajput ties:
- Catherine Glynn and Ellen Smart, “A Mughal Icon Re-examined, in Artibus Asiae, Vol., 57, 1-2, (1997), p. 5-15.
- Vishakha Desai, “Painting and Politics in Seventeenth-Century North India: Mewar, Bikaner, and the Mughal Court,” in Art Journal, Vol. 49, No. 4, New Approaches to South Asian Art, (Winter 1990), p. 370-378.
Week 6: Shah Jahan and the Refinement of Mughal Cultural styles
Monday, Feb 8— Richards, Ch. 6
Annotated Bibliography (For Research Paper): Due Feb. 9, 5 pm. If I am not in my office, slip it under my office door in Smith 006.
Wednesday, Feb 10—John F. Richards, “Norms of Comportment Among Imperial Mughal Officers,” in Power, Administration, and Finance in Mughal India, (Brookefield: Ashgate Publishing Company, 1993), 255-289
Take home exam distributed in class Monday, Feb. 8. You have until Thursday, Feb 11 to turn it in. All exams due in my office, SMI 006 by 5 pm. If I am not there, please slip under the door.
Week 7
Monday, Feb15, No class to prepare read Richards, Ch. 7-8.
Wednesday, Feb 17—Richards, Ch. 9-10 Lecture: Aurangzeb and the debates about Mughal decline
Week 8: Understanding the diminishment of Mughal Political Power
Monday, Feb 22—Richards, Chs. 10 through conclusion
Wednesday, Feb 24—Stewart N. Gordon “The Slow Conquest: Administrative Integration of Malwa into the Maratha Empire, 1720—1760”, in Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 11, No. 1. (1977), pp. 1-40.
Rough Draft of Research Papers due Thursday, Feb. 25 5 pm in my office, SMI 006. Please slip under door if I am not present.
Week 9—New Regional powers—Conquest and SuccessorStates
Monday, March 1—Satish Chandra, “Nizam-ul-Mulk and the end of the Struggle for Wizarat,” from Parties and Politics at the Mughal Couirt, (Delhi: OUP, reprint 2002) 205-220 and J. S. Grewal, “Rise to Power,” from The New Cambridge History of India, Vol. II:3—The Sikhs of the Punjab, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, reprint 1994), 82-98.
Wednesday, March 3— Mir Muhammad Taqi ‘Mir,’ Zikr-i Mir: The Autobiography of the Eighteenth Century Mughal Poet Mir Muhammad Taqi ‘Mir,’ ed. and translator C. M. Naim, (New Delhi: OUP, 1999) 72-95.
Week 10—The Interregnum between two Empires and the 18th century Debates
Monday, March 8—Decline or Renewal? C. A. Bayly, “Epilogue to the Indian Edition,” in The Eighteenth Century in India, ed. Seema Alavi, (New Delhi: OxfordUniversity Press, 2002), 165-198
Wednesday, March 10—merchants and the new economy, Karen Leonard, “The ‘Great Firm’ Theory of Decline of the Mughal Empire,” in Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 21, no. 2, (April 1979), 151-167.
And by the same author, “Indigenous Banking Firms in Mughal India, A Reply, in Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 23, no. 2 (April 1981), 309-313.
Paper 2 and all final drafts of research papers Due by 5 pm Thursday the 11th in my office, smith 006 (If you drop it off early and I am not in my office, please slip under my door)
Final: Monday, March 15th at 2:30-4:20 at GLD 435
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