David Boyk is a historian of South Asia based in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, where he teaches courses in Hindi-Urdu language and literature, and on South Asian literature, film, and history. His research focuses on the urban history and intellectual life of Patna and the north Indian region of Bihar. He is the author of Provincial Metropolis: Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India (Cambridge University Press, 2025).

Research Interests

• Urban & Regional History
• Bihar & North India
• Hindi-Urdu Language & Literature
• South Asian Film & Culture