ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book discusses how the history of Madrasa Ashrafiya and Ehya ul-Ulum is inextricably linked with the local history of Mubarakpur. It shows how these madrasas were established, the forms of earlier traditions of learning in the qasba and how it changed, and the politics of establishing educational/religious institutions. The book focuses on the changes within the fortunes of a particular madrasa with the changes in the fortunes of its followers. It argues that education and more so religious education is hardly a neutral enterprise; that there are contestations over meanings and symbols and that these contestations reflect the inner struggle over power and authority within that society. The book also shows how Madrasa Ashrafiya grew over the years, exemplifying the changing social character of Islamic learning in Mubarakpur.
