Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Status of Women in Medieval India 1000 CE to 1700CE Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

Module 1: Social and Economic Status of Women

• a Social Practices and Restrictions – Child marriage, purdah system, sati, and widowhood.
• b Role in Economy – Women’s contribution to agriculture, crafts, and household industries.
• c Education and Property Rights – Limited access to education and inheritance laws under Hindu and Islamic traditions.

Module 2: Women in Religion and Politics

• a Influence in Bhakti and Sufi Movements – Contributions of saints like Mirabai (1498–1547), Akkamahadevi (12th century), and Bahinabai (1628–1700).
• b Women in Political Power – Razia Sultana (1205–1240), Nur Jahan (1577–1645), Chand Bibi (1550–1599), Tara Bai (1675–1761) and other female rulers.
• c Impact of Religious and Social Reforms – Rani Durgavati (1524–1564), Rani Karmavati (16th century) Role of women in social changes during medieval India.

Text Books

• 1 Altekar, A.S., (1959), The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi.
• 2 Desai, Neera, (1980), Women in India: A Historical and Sociological Study, Ajanta Publications, New Delhi.
• 3 Misra, Rekha, (1967), Women in Mughal India (1526–1748), Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi.
• 4 Nath, Vijay, (2000), Women in Medieval Indian Society, Orient Longman, Hyderabad.

Reference Books

• 1 Ayyappapanicker, K., (1999), Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
• 2 Bose, Mandakranta, (2018), Women in the Hindu Tradition: Rules, Roles, and Exceptions, Routledge, London.
• 3 Chakravarti, Uma, (1998), Rewriting History: The Life and Times of Pandita Ramabai, Zubaan, New Delhi.
• 4 Chitnis, K.N., (2003), Socio-Economic History of Medieval India, Atlantic Publishers, New Delhi.
• 5 Habib, Irfan, (1999), Medieval India: The Study of a Civilization, National Book Trust, New Delhi.
• 6 Hasan, Farhat, (2004), State and Locality in Mughal India: Power Relations in Western India (1572–1730), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• 7 Jain, Meenakshi, (1996), Women in Ancient and Medieval India, Manohar Publishers, New Delhi.
• 8 Jaiswal, Suvira, (1998), Caste: Origin, Function, and Dimensions of Change, Manohar Publishers, New Delhi.
• 9 Kumar, Nita, (1992), The Politics of Gender, Community, and Modernity: Essays on Women in Colonial India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• 10 Lal, Ruby, (2005), Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• 11 Mukherjee, Soma, (2001), Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions, Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi.
• 12 Nath, Vijay, (2000), Women in Medieval Indian Society, Orient Longman, Hyderabad.
• 13 Prakash, Om, (2000), Encyclopaedia of Indian Women Through the Ages: Medieval India, Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi.
• 14 Ramusack, Barbara, (2004), The Indian Princes and Their States, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• 15 Sarkar, Sumit, (2008), Women and Social Reform in Modern India, Permanent Black, Ranikhet.
• 16 Sharma, Rekha, (2012), Role of Women in Medieval India, Kalpaz Publications, New Delhi.
• 17 Singh, Kiran, (2003), Women in Medieval India: Social, Economic and Political Perspectives, Rawat Publications, Jaipur.