Rajeev Kinra

Rajeev Kinra is an Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University, specializing in early modern South Asian cultural history with a focus on Mughal and early British Empires. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2008). His research integrates Persian, Hindi-Urdu, and Sanskrit sources to explore themes of civility, cosmopolitanism, and cultural modernity. He directs Northwestern’s Asian Studies Program (2015-18) and co-directs the Global Humanities Initiative. Notable publications include Writing Self, Writing Empire (2015), analyzing the Mughal state secretary Chandar Bhan Brahman.

Education: Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2008.

Research interests emphasize South Asian and global history, particularly Indo-Persian literary and intellectual cultures, Mughal governance, and comparative philology. Awards include an NEH fellowship and a Buffett Institute grant for global humanities projects.

Teaching focuses on early modern India and modern South Asia, with courses on global history and the Indian Ocean world. Affiliations include the Buffett Institute, Asian Languages and Cultures, and the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA).