Talk 246: #ASpaceForWomen – Zenanas In The Mughal Empire by Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi

#ASpaceForWomen | Zenanas In The Mughal | Khaki Lab The zenana, typically described as the private space for women in the Mughal palaces where men and strangers were not allowed, has to date not received an in-depth study. At our Online Talk #ASpaceForWomen, art historian Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi seeks to create a greater understanding of royal female space in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Mughal South Asia. She provides a greater understanding of the creation, planning, and use of the zenana within the Mughal context, through the examination of surviving architecture, particularly in the imperial capital cities, by investigating how the palatial zenana is represented in Mughal painting, and by examining contemporary written accounts, both Mughal and European. She extrapolates information to create a picture of the spatial elements, architectural features, or, indeed, the buildings themselves that were part of the zenana’s designated space. About the speaker: Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi’s expertise is on the art, architecture, and material culture of Mughal South Asia. She has published extensively on Mughal art and architecture, and shares her expertise with public audiences through her participation in and consultation for documentaries on the Taj Mahal; programming on BBC World Service Radio, BBC2 and BBC4; podcasts; participation in the Lahore Literary Festivals; and as an expert lecturer on cultural tours. Mehreen is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture, and regularly lectures on Islamic and Indo-Islamic art in London at SOAS, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. She previously worked for the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. #history #heritage #travel #mughalempire #womenhistory #mughalpaintings #arthistory