This volume, based on a wide range of Urdu sources, highlights the pluralism and multiculturalism of qasbas in colonial Awadh. Drawing on the family history of the Kidwais of Bara Banki, it connects local histories to the national, and studies qasbati identity and its inheritance of syncretic Indo-Persian culture. Hasan moves away from the usual Lucknow-centred approach and inverts conventional stereotypes to depict the influence of qasbati culture in larger cities. This book will interest scholars, students, and the general reader concerned with modern Indian history, Islam in South Asia, and the socio-cultural shifts in colonial north India.
