Yasmin Khan facts for kids

Yasmin Cordery Khan is a British historian, writer, and TV presenter. She studies the history of the British Empire and how countries like India and Pakistan became independent. She teaches history at Oxford University.

Learning and Her Work

Yasmin Khan studied history at St Peter's College, Oxford. She then earned her advanced degree, called a DPhil, at St Antony's College, Oxford in 2005. Her studies focused on the history of empires.

Before joining Kellogg College, Oxford in 2012, she worked at the University of Edinburgh and Royal Holloway, University of London. Professor Khan's work looks at how countries gained independence from empires. She also studies British migration history and the history of India during World War II. In 2024, she became a Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford.

Books and Writing

Professor Khan has written several important books. Her book The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan (2007) won the Gladstone Book Prize. It was also considered for the Orwell Prize. This book explains how India and Pakistan were divided in 1947.

Another book, The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War (2015), tells the story of India's role in World War II. She has also written articles for The Guardian newspaper. You might have heard her on Channel 4 News or BBC Radio.

Yasmin Khan has also written fiction books. Her first novel, Edgware Road, came out in 2022. Her second novel, Overland, was published in 2024.

On TV and Radio

Yasmin Khan has appeared on several TV and radio shows, sharing her knowledge of history.

In Our Time (BBC Radio 4, 2012)

She was a guest on a radio show that talked about the life and work of Annie Besant. Annie Besant was an important writer and activist.

A Passage to Britain (BBC 2, 2018)

In 2018, Professor Khan presented a three-part TV series for BBC Two. The show used old passenger lists from ships traveling between Britain and India. It explored the stories of people who traveled during the years before India became independent in 1947. One episode featured the story of Mulk Raj Anand, a famous Indian writer.

Britain’s Biggest Dig (BBC 2, 2020)

In 2020, Yasmin Khan presented another three-part series for BBC Two. She worked with Professor Alice Roberts on this show. They explored two large archaeological digs in London and Birmingham. These digs were done to prepare for building the HS2 high-speed railway.