Sharon C. Smith - <p>Laborers and draft animals played underexamined roles in building and operating the waterworks of Mughal gardens and landscapes. This article analyzes four sources of evidence about water-related work: Mughal paintings; historical texts on the political economy of Mughal waterworks; historical sources assessed in relation to modern estimates of human and animal energy needed to build and operate the waterworks; and historical sources considered in relation to the work of natural waters shaping land and society in material and cultural terms. Taken together, these four lines of inquiry provide a unified framework for research on Mughal waterworks and livelihoods.</p>
Water and Work in Mughal Gardens and Landscapes
Type
journal article
Year
2022

Laborers and draft animals played underexamined roles in building and operating the waterworks of Mughal gardens and landscapes. This article analyzes four sources of evidence about water-related work: Mughal paintings; historical texts on the political economy of Mughal waterworks; historical sources assessed in relation to modern estimates of human and animal energy needed to build and operate the waterworks; and historical sources considered in relation to the work of natural waters shaping land and society in material and cultural terms. Taken together, these four lines of inquiry provide a unified framework for research on Mughal waterworks and livelihoods.

Citation

Wescoat, James. L., Jr. (2022). Water and Work in Mughal Gardens and Landscapes. Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World, Volume 3 (Issue 1), 112-137. https://doi.org/10.1163/26666286-12340027

Parent Publications
Authorities
Copyright

Brill

Country
Afghanistan
India
Language
English
Dimensions
25 pages
Keywords