Yasmin Khan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Professor Yasmin Khan
Khan in 2022
Born	1977 (age 47–48)
Nationality	British
Other names	Yasmin Cordery Khan
Alma mater	St Peter's College, Oxford (BA) St Antony's College, Oxford (DPhil)
Occupation	Historian, novelist and broadcaster
Notable work	The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan
Awards	Gladstone Book Prize
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Edinburgh Royal Holloway, University of London Kellogg College, Oxford

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

Education and Teaching

Yasmin Khan grew up in London. She has both Pakistani and Irish family roots. She studied History at St Peter's College, Oxford. Later, she earned her PhD in Imperial and Commonwealth History from St Antony's College, Oxford in 2005.

Before joining Kellogg College in 2012, she taught at the University of Edinburgh and Royal Holloway, University of London. Her work focuses on how countries gained independence from empires. She also studies British migration history and India's role in the Second World War. In October 2024, she was given the special title of Professor of Modern History by Oxford University.

Professor Khan helps edit a history magazine called History Workshop Journal. She also serves as a trustee for the Charles Wallace India Trust. From 2019 to 2022, she was a senior tutor at Kellogg College. In 2022, she was a judge for the Cundill History Prize, a major award for history books.

Books and Writing

Yasmin Khan has written several important history books. Her book The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan came out in 2007. This book won the Gladstone Book Prize and was considered for the Orwell Prize. It explains how India and Pakistan became separate countries.

Another book, The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War, was published in 2015. This book looks at India's part in World War II. She has also written articles for Guardian newspaper. You might have seen her on Channel 4 News or heard her on BBC Radio.

In 2022, her first fiction book, Edgware Road, was published. Her second novel, Overland, came out in 2024.

TV and Radio Shows

In Our Time (BBC Radio 4, 2012)

Yasmin Khan appeared 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 told the stories of people who traveled during the 30 years before India became independent in 1947. One episode shared 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 big archaeological digs in London and Birmingham. These digs were done to prepare for building the HS2 high-speed railway.