Sebouh Aslanian

Sebouh Aslanian is a Professor and the Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Department of History. His research bridges early modern global history, Armenian studies, and Indian Ocean trade networks, challenging methodological nationalism through microhistorical and transnational frameworks.

• Ph.D. with Distinction, Columbia University
• M.A., New School for Social Research
• B.A., McGill University

Aslanian’s work focuses on Armenian diasporic communities, print culture, mercantile networks, and port cities across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean worlds. He advocates for “global microhistory,” linking individual biographies to broader historical processes. Current projects include Early Modernity and Mobility (Yale University Press, in contract) and Signed, Sealed, and Undelivered, analyzing 18th-century Armenian-British trade conflicts via 2,000 seized letters.

His publications span topics like Armenian-French commercial relations, Indian Ocean trade isomorphism, and critiques of historiographical scales. Articles emphasize microhistorical agency, cultural exchange, and the interplay of local and global dynamics in early modern contexts.

Scientific Awards & Grants:

• PEN Literary Award for Best First Book (2011)
• Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Award (MESA, 2011)
• California World History Library 'Author’s Imprint' Selection
• Columbia University Distinguished Dissertation Award (2007)
• Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2009-2010)
• Manoogian Postdoctoral Fellowship (2008-2009)
• Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship (1999-2005)

Aslanian teaches courses on Middle Eastern history, Armenian studies, and global trade networks. His work has been recognized by institutions including the Society of Armenian Studies and the Middle East Studies Association, with funding from the Mellon Foundation and Dean’s Summer Research Grant.