Julia Stephens

About the Author

Julia Stephens is a distinguished historian specializing in the intersections of law, religion, and empire in South Asia. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge, she has held faculty positions at prestigious institutions, including Yale University, where she teaches courses on colonial history and secularism. Her research draws on extensive archival work in India, Pakistan, and Britain, illuminating how Islamic legal traditions navigated the challenges of British colonial rule and post-colonial nation-building. Stephens' scholarship challenges conventional narratives of secularism, revealing its entangled roots in imperial governance and local religious practices. A recipient of fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities, she continues to influence debates on global legal histories through her incisive analyses and public lectures.