B. D. Hopkins

Short Biography

B. D. Hopkins’ research involves an interdisciplinary approach to the history of South and Central Asia, as well as British imperialism. Integrating traditional historical methods with anthropology and political science, he is particularly interested in the emergence of the modern global order in the region spurned on by the intrusion of European imperialism. He has published articles in Modern Asian Studies, as well as the Journal of Global History, and is a contributor to the International Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences (2nd edn.). His recently published book, The Making of Modern Afghanistan (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), explores the efforts of the East India Company to create an Afghan state in the early nineteenth century. His current research, on the formation and governance of the British Indian frontier with Afghanistan, focuses on the concept of the ‘frontier’ and its changing meaning over time. He has taught at the London School of Economics, is currently a research fellow at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and will shortly be taking up a permanent position at the George Washington University (Washington DC) as an assistant professor of history and international affairs. He holds a BSc in International Relations and History from the LSE and a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge.