B. Markus Daechsel

Dr B. Markus Daechsel serves as Reader in Modern Islamic Societies at the Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London. His research investigates how societies in the Global South, particularly across South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh), have navigated the challenges of capitalist modernity throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Originally trained in Middle East and South Asia area studies rather than conventional history, he employs an interdisciplinary methodology that bridges historical analysis with development economics, sociology, anthropology, and religious studies.

Dr Daechsel's scholarly interests encompass:

• Development history and its impact on religious, cultural and political life
• Urban history with focus on post-colonial cities like Karachi and Islamabad
• Intellectual history of political, social and religious thought in Muslim societies
• History of technology, particularly electrification in South Asia
• Transnational connections in development narratives

His recent publications examine Urdu print culture, urban development politics in Pakistan, and the intellectual legacy of figures like Inayatullah Khan 'al-Mashriqi'. His monograph 'Islamabad and the Politics of International Development in Pakistan' (Cambridge University Press, 2015) reveals how Pakistan's capital city was shaped by international influences, reflecting his transnational research perspective.

Dr Daechsel has secured significant research funding including a Leverhulme Trust project 'Islamic Economics: from anti-Colonialism to Neoliberalism' (2025-2028) and a British Academy grant for 'Oral testimonies of development in Pakistan' (2012-2013). He actively supervises doctoral students on diverse South Asia-related topics, from development policy in Princely Bahawalpur to heritage preservation in contemporary Pakistan, with his students contributing significantly to academic communities in the UK, India, and Pakistan.