Islamic Studies Lecture Series

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in north India are commonly understood as an age of Islamic reform. This reform varied in many ways – as exemplified by the differences between the Aligarh and Deoband movements – but reformers shared, generally speaking, conservative attitudes about the role of Muslim women. In this paper, I consider representations of women and gender relations in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Punjabi popular literature. My analysis considers the historiographical implications of popular representations of gender that run counter to reformist agendas. At the same time, I consider the methodological implications of using popular literature as historical source material for this period of Indian history.