Imperial Identity in Mughal Empire: Memory and Dynastic Politics in Early Modern Central Asia

by Lisa Balabanlilar

Having monopolized Central Asian politics and culture for over a century, the Timurid ruling elite was forced from its ancestral homeland in Transoxiana at the turn of the sixteenth century by an invading Uzbek tribal confederation. The Timurids traveled south, establishing themselves as the new rulers of a region roughly comprising modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India, and founding what would become the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). The last survivors of the House of Timur, the Mughals drew invaluable political capital from their lineage, which was recognized for its charismatic genealogy and court culture, the features of which are examined here. By identifying Mughal loyalty to Turco-Mongol institutions and traditions, Lisa Balabanlilar here positions the Mughal dynasty at the center of the early modern Islamic world as the direct successors of a powerful political and religious tradition.

Genres: History, India

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 31, 2012

About the author

A specialist in the Timurid-Mughal Empire of Central and South Asia, Lisa Balabanlilar is Joseph and Joanna Nazro Mullen Professor in the Humanities, Chair of the Department of Transnational Asian Studies, and Director of the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University.

Reviews

[Rómestámo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 2015, ‘Imperial Identity in the Mughal Empire: Memory and Dynastic Politics in Early Modern South and Central Asia’ by Lisa Balabanlilar reveals the fascinating story of how exiled Timurid elites forged the Mughal Empire, positioning it as the dazzling successor to Turco-Mongol traditions and a central force in the early modern Islamic world.

Book Summary:

“Having monopolized Central Asian politics and culture for over a century, the Timurid ruling elite was forced from its ancestral homeland in Transoxiana at the turn of the sixteenth century by an invading Uzbek tribal confederation.

The Timurids travelled south: establishing themselves as the new rulers of a region roughly comprising modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India, and founding what would become the Mughal Empire (1526-1857).

The last survivors of the House of Timur, the Mughals drew invaluable political capital from their lineage, which was recognized for its charismatic genealogy and court culture - the features of which are examined here. By identifying Mughal loyalty to Turco-Mongol institutions and traditions, Lisa Balabanlilar here positions the Mughal dynasty at the centre of the early modern Islamic world as the direct successors of a powerful political and religious tradition.”

Available:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/imperia...

Tags:
#mughals_zubairsbookshelf

#books

[voulpit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent study about the Timurid legacy of the Mughals.