Culture and Politics in the Courts of Medieval India

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by Daud Ali

Cambridge University Press

Due/Published November 2002, 320 pages, cloth

ISBN 0521816270

The neglected study of pre-colonial India is now currently undergoing a revival. Daud Ali views courtly life, through the prism of the famous Kama Sutra, in exploring the culture and polity of medieval India. Ali's analysis is meaningful to literary, religious, historical and cultural studies.

Contents

Introduction; Part I. The Rise of Courtly Life: 1. Antecedents and contexts; 2. The world of the court; Part II. The Reproduction of Courtly Life: 3. Aesthetics and the transformation of self; 4. Refinement and the dynamics of courtly life; 5. The ornamental order; 6. The education of disposition; Part III. The Problem of Pleasures: 7. Pleasure gardens; 8. The pursuit of Kama; 9. The agonism of pleasures; Postscript.