“The history of technology in South Asia has mostly been devoted to the ‘temples of modernity,’ accenting the monumental, the secular, and the modern. Amanda Lanzillo introduces us to a very different history, where technology, religion, and tradition domesticate modernity within intimate laboring cultures.”—Projit Bihari Mukharji, Professor of History, Ashoka University
“Lanzillo explores entirely new vistas of the intertwined history of religion and labor in colonial South Asia, making a fascinating case for the flourishing of an ‘artisan Islam’ in the industrializing cities of the subcontinent.”—Nile Green, Ibn Khaldun Endowed Chair in World History, University of California, Los Angeles
“Pious Labor opens up vital new conversations between scholars of Islam, vernacular print culture, labor, and technology studies. This work will have a major impact on the fields of South Asian history, Islamic studies, and beyond.”—Julia Stephens, Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University