James E. Baldwin

James E. Baldwin is a Lecturer in the Department of History at Royal Holloway, University of London, specializing in the legal, social, and political history of the Ottoman Empire, with a focus on Egypt. He holds a PhD from New York University (2010) and has held positions at the University of Warwick, Queen Mary University of London (as a Leverhulme Trust Fellow), and visiting roles at Koç University and Harvard Law School. His research examines the interplay between Islamic law and imperial governance, particularly in 17th- and 18th-century Cairo.

His first book, Islamic Law and Empire in Ottoman Cairo (2017), explores dispute resolution mechanisms linking Cairo to Istanbul. Current projects include litigation and political violence in 18th-century Egyptian elite struggles. He edits the Ottoman section of SHARIAsource, a Harvard-based digital resource for Islamic legal studies.

Baldwin teaches undergraduate courses on the Ottoman Empire, modern Middle Eastern history, and Islamic law, as well as postgraduate modules on politics and religion in the Middle East. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to historical understanding and governance.