Magnus Marsden

Prof. Magnus Marsden is a Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Sussex, affiliated with the School of Global Studies and the Sussex Asia Centre. He specializes in Muslim Asia, focusing on anthropology of trade networks, globalization, and frontier dynamics. His research spans Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, and diasporic communities in Europe and China. Notable grants include an ERC Advanced Grant and AHRC funding. He holds a PhD (2002) and BA from the University of Cambridge, with prior roles at Trinity College and SOAS. His work explores Afghan traders, Islamic cosmopolitanism, and inter-Asian connectivity. Awards include the 2008 American Institute of Pakistan Studies Book Prize for Living Islam. He advises doctoral students on Central/South Asian and Middle Eastern topics, emphasizing ethnography, trade, and religious networks. His research integrates historical and anthropological methods, addressing geopolitical and commercial systems.

Education: PhD (Social Anthropology, Trinity College, Cambridge, 2002); BA (University of Cambridge). Professional roles include Director of the Sussex Asia Centre and Steering Committee member. Grants funded studies on Afghan networks, Eurasian trade, and urban Muslim cosmopolitanism. Public scholarship includes articles for The Conversation and collaborations with artists like Moska Najib. Current office hours: Thursdays 10-11 in Arts C.

Research Interests: Islamicate societies, transnational trade networks, frontier anthropology, Afghan diasporas, urban cosmopolitanism, and inter-Asian connectivity. Recent projects examine Jewish-Afghan traders and post-2021 commercial shifts in Afghanistan.

Grants: ERC Advanced Grant (2015–2020), AHRC 'Afterlives of Urban Muslim Asia' (2022–2025), Leverhulme Trust grants, and Sussex Asia Centre initiatives. Professional activities include advisory roles for Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies and Action for Development.

Labs/Teams: Leading the Sussex Asia Centre's research on Asian networks and collaborating with global anthropologists on Eurasian trade dynamics. Current projects include studies on Afghan traders in Yiwu, China, and diasporic communities in Europe.