Call for Papers for the Symposium on “Babur and His Legacy: The 500th Anniversary of His Accession to Power in India”
Abstract submissions will continue until September 15, 2026, for the symposium titled "Babur and His Legacy: The 500th Anniversary of His Accession to Power in India". The event is organized by the TÜBA to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur's accession to power in India and the foundation of the Baburid State, and will be held on November 20-21, 2026.
Assuming a decisive historical role across the geographies of Fergana, Afghanistan, and India through his identities as a military leader, poet, and statesman, Babur laid the foundations of a new political order in India following his victory at the Battle of Panipat in 1526, thus becoming the founder of the Baburid State. Developing throughout the reigns of Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb, the Baburid State forged a lasting legacy in the fields of administration, military organization, law, economy, urbanization, science, and the arts, creating a formidable imperial tradition that endured until 1858.
Not limited merely to his political and military achievements, Babur's legacy—particularly the works he authored, most notably the Baburnama—serves as a crucial primary source for Turkish language and literature, as well as for historical and cultural studies. Babur's historical legacy will be addressed in a multidimensional manner, encompassing his ancestral lineage extending to Timur and Genghis Khan, his conception of political legitimacy, and his statecraft experience shaped across diverse geographies.
Following a scientific peer-review process, the papers presented at the symposium will be published by TÜBA as a distinguished academic volume.
Symposium Themes
Research aligned with the following themes will be evaluated at the symposium. Furthermore, alternative topic proposals corresponding to the general framework of the symposium will also be taken into consideration.
Historical Roots, Legitimacy, and the Persona of Babur
The Struggle for Power from Fergana to India and Political History
State Organization, Administration, and Military Structure
Economic Life, Agriculture, Trade, and the Legal Order
Regional and Global Foreign Policy: Relations with Turkistan, the Safavids, the Ottomans, and Europe
Urbanization, Architecture, and the Patronage of the Arts
Language, Literature, and the Baburnama
The Babur Dynastic Tradition and the State’s Impact on the Modern Era
Important Dates
Abstract Submission Deadline: September 15, 2026
Announcement of Accepted Abstracts: October 1, 2026
Full Paper Submission Deadline: November 6, 2026
Symposium Dates: November 20-21, 2026
Application
https://symposium.tuba.gov.tr/
Contact
symposium@tuba.gov.tr