Sir Christopher Bayly (1945-2015)

The Toynbee Prize Foundation mourns the recent and unexpected passing of Professor Sir Christopher Bayly, the leading historian of India and the British Empire and a pioneer in the field of global history. As a recent obituary by Richard Drayton explains, Bayly made prodigious contributions to the field of South Asian history, and his The Birth of the Modern World: Global Connections and Comparisons 1780-1914 was one of the most ambitious and successful attempts at writing history on a global scale.

Sir Christopher's concerns were kindred to those of the Toynbee Prize Foundation, and our Leadership and Trustees join the international community of historians in expressing our grief at his passing and admiration for the body of work he has left behind.

Announcements on plans on the part of the Toynbee Prize Foundation to honor Bayly's life and oeuvre more formally are forthcoming.