Paper short abstract:

This paper explores how affect was central to the construction of relations between elite slaves and masters in the Mughal period. It stresses both the functional nature of such affective ties and the distinct sorts of master-slave relationships forged in the domestic space of the elite household.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the ways in which affect and a sense of familial intimacy were central to the construction of relations between (elite, skilled) slaves and their masters in the Mughal period. In turn, it aims to illustrate the functional significance of the affective ties between master and slave within the domestic space of an elite household. It does so through a close analysis of the Tahmasnama, a mid-to-late eighteenth century autobiographical work by Tahmas Khan 'Miskin', a former slave. In closely examining the domestic world of elite slavery, as discussed in this text, I will seek to accomplish two things. First, I will examine the nature of Miskin's own relationship to his masters, and in particular the ways in which these relationships were constructed as familial and domestic. In the process, I will underline the ways in which the nature of such relationships impacted in turn the kind of labor a slave would be asked to carry out. Second, I will investigate the broader relational dynamics within the household, in particular the contrast between the position of a slave such as Miskin that of the eunuchs who had easier access to and often therefore more intimate relations with elite women, and therefore forged distinct sorts of master-slave relationships. In doing so, I will explore the differing roles taken on by these two kinds of slaves within the domestic context.