Ashraf into Middle Classes: Muslims in Nineteenth-Century Delhi

In Ashraf into Middle Classes, Margrit Pernau sets out to understand multiple ways of being that have shaped Muslim ashraf identity and its transition to middle class in Delhi during the nineteenth century. Her broader aim is to dissect “West” and “Muslim” as isolated categories and demonstrate “entangled history” involving “interconnectedness of a whole host of transfer processes in both directions” (p. 434). Lying at the intersection of urban history, culture, and histories of class, Pernau's analysis presents a complex framework where different groups of Delhi Muslims cohered around virtues of “respectability” and Islamic reform to produce a distinct middle-class ethic. Using the revolt of 1857 as a pivot for periodization, Pernau examines in detail relations between the British and Delhi Muslim nobility prior to 1857 and the establishment of the colonial state and society following the aftermath of the rebellion. Drawing on a diverse archive, she interprets sources...