Christopher Bahl

Dr. Christopher Bahl serves as Associate Professor of South Asian History in the Department of History at Durham University, a position he has held since 2020 after previously working as a research associate at the Orient-Institut Beirut (Max Weber Foundation) in Lebanon.

His academic credentials include a PhD in History from SOAS, University of London (2018), an MA in Historical Research Methods from SOAS (2014), and a Magister Artium in Islamic Studies and South Asian History from the University of Heidelberg (2013). His educational journey also encompassed studies at Damascus University and Hyderabad's Central University during 2010/11.

Dr. Bahl's research investigates early modern South Asia's connections with the western Indian Ocean through Arabic manuscript circulation (15th-17th centuries), with particular emphasis on cultural transmission and learned networks. His work bridges South Asian History, Islamic Manuscript Cultures, and Transoceanic Exchange, revealing how textual practices shaped regional identities across Egypt, the Red Sea, and the Deccan.

Analysis of his recent publications shows consistent focus on scribal networks, prosopography, and the movement of knowledge across maritime boundaries. His scholarship demonstrates growing interest in shrine cities and political mobility within Indian Ocean communities, with increasing methodological sophistication in analyzing manuscript colophons and Arabic philological traditions.

His scholarly recognition includes:

• German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, 2008-2013)
• Erika and Ekmar Schoeneberg Foundation (2013-2014)
• SOAS Research Fellowship (2014-2017)
• Isobel Thornley Fellowship, Institute of Historical Research (University of London)

Dr. Bahl currently supervises doctoral candidate Amira Al Harthi (researching Omani merchants in Zanzibar's textile trade) and has secured significant research funding enabling extensive archival work across Cairo, Istanbul, London, and India. His ongoing monograph "Mobile Manuscripts" represents the culmination of this internationally supported research program.

While no dedicated laboratory or research team is specified, his work inherently involves transnational collaboration through institutions including the Orient-Institut Beirut and multiple archival networks across the Indian Ocean region.