Memoirs of a rebel princess

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Memoirs of a rebel princess

Abida Sultaan ; foreword by Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan ; introduction by Siobhan Lambert-Hurley

Oxford University Press, 2013

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Originally published in hardback by Oxford University Press in 2004

Includes bibliographical references and index

Summary: Memoirs of a princess of the Muslim princely state of Bhopal in central India

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Written shortly before her death this book documents the activities of a Muslim princess who rebelled against societal conventions to take an active public role, first, as heir-apparent and chief secretary within the context of an Indian princely state, then, shortly after partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, as diplomat and dissident in independent Pakistan. The heir apparent to a long line of women rulers in Bhopal State (central India) Princess Abida Sultaan was a profound witness to history. Bred by her grandmother to be a perfect synthesis of East and West, she knew most of the leaders in the independence struggle. Her memoirs are significant as they give an insight into the changes that have occurred for politically active Muslim women of the Indian subcontinent in the twentieth century. It charts the internal political events of an individual princely state and includes a discussion on the collapse of princely India and the events surrounding partition. Generally, this autobiography challenges the portrayal of Muslim women as silent, secluded and oppressed. Her memoirs will aid in removing widespread misconceptions, particularly with regard to the status of women in Islam.

Table of Contents

  • FOREWORD
  • PREFACE
  • MAIN CHARACTERS
  • PART I: INDIA
  • 1. MY BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 1913-23
  • 2. ADOLESCENCE 1924-30
  • 3. MARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD 1931-39
  • 4. THE WAR YEARS 1939-49
  • PART II: PAKISTAN
  • 5. BEGINNING A NEW LIFE 1950-60
  • 6. ENTERING THE POLITICAL CAULDRON 1960-71
  • 7. DEMOCRACY, DICTATORSHIP AND DECLINE 1971-99
  • 8. AUTUMN LEAVES 2000-2002
  • EPILOGUE
  • MAP OF BHOPAL
  • FAMILY TREE
  • GLOSSARY
  • INDEX

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