Ashraf Into Middle Classes

This book studies changing formations of Muslim identities in nineteenth-century Delhi, under later Mughals and in the early days of the British Raj. It explores the role of religion in their self-definition while historicizing Islam and socially contextualizing its various manifestations. Focusing on the members of the new emerging social class called the ashraf, the book tries to understand how individuals negotiated the changing social semantics of thenineteenth century.