Peter Hardy (historian)
Peter Hardy was a Lecturer, and later Reader, at the School of Oriental and African Studies from 1947 to 1983. A specialist in the history of Islam, the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal India, he had particular expertise in Indo-Persian historiography. Among his many publications, Historians of Medieval India is highly regarded. His book Muslims of British India is a key work on the colonial period, often re-printed. Hardy's essay "Abul Fazl's Portrait of the Perfect Padshah" was the first attempt to critically reappraise Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak and his political philosophy. His career has drawn the attention of Ian Brown in his history of SOAS.
Key works
Historians of medieval India; studies in Indo-Muslim historical writingPartners in freedom and true Muslims. The political thought of some Muslim scholars in British India 1912-1947
Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies monograph series, no. 5
The Muslims of British India Cambridge South Asian studies, 13
"Approaches to pre-modern Indo-Muslim historical writing: some reconsiderations in 1990-1991", pp. 49–71 in Peter Robb, K. N. Chaudhuri, and Avril Powell, eds.
Society and ideology: essays in South Asian history presented to professor K.A. Ballhatchet,, pp. 38–60 in Yohanan
Friedmann, ed., Islam in Asia
"Islam and Muslims in South Asia" pp. 36–61 in Raphael Israeli, ed., The Crescent in the East: Islam in Asia Major Republished
"Islam in South Asia", pp. 143–164 in Joseph M. Kitagawa, ed., The Religious Traditions of Asia
"Some general characteristics analysed", pp. 169–179 in Richard M. Eaton, ed. ''India's Islamic Traditions, 711-1750''