Locating Race in Mughal India

This article uses writings of the French traveler François Bernier (d. 1688) on race as an inroad into question locating in Mughal India. I explore discourses alterity through examination Persian from various genres composed during long seventeenth century. In contrast to Bernier, these do not offer concepts equivalent that race. However, by invoking narratives descent Noah's son Ham, ideas climatic and physiognomic humoralism, attribution physical qualities or character traits social groups, works engage practices racialization while also at times undermining them.