Anurag Advani is a student of early modern South Asian history. His project focuses on changing notions of madness and mental illness in the Mughal Empire. Through looking at various medical texts in Persian and Urdu, his work traces the expansion of categories, diagnoses and treatments for various kinds of mental illness between the 16th and 18th centuries. At the same time, he is interested in cultural perceptions of insanity in Mughal poetry, Sufi hagiographies and courtly chronicles. Prior to joining Berkeley, Anurag recieved an MA in The Humanities from The University of Chicago, and a BA (Honors) in History from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, India.
