My current research focuses on the genealogical records of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia from 1370 to 1512. One part of the project consists basically of an English rendering of the Mu`izz al-ansab--the most important Timurid genealogical source--along with the collation of data from narrative, epigraphic, numismatic, diplomatic and other materials. I have also begun to query the data produced by this process to investigate issues of marriage and concubinage, childrearing, foster parenthood and other issues relating to the structure of the family. I believe that the results of this research will be of significance for understanding the dynamics of the history of the Timurids and other similar polities and may also have implications for more general notions of state formation in Central Asia.
John E. Woods is Professor of Iranian and Central Asian History, and of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and the College at the University of Chicago. He focuses primarily on the history of Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia from the thirteenth to eighteenth century. He is particularly interested in aspects of the encounter of sedentary and nomadic people in those regions during that time period. He is at present working on several projects dealing with the age of Chinggis Khan and Timur (Tamerlane). He has played a central role in the Center for Middle Eastern Studies since 1980.