Tim Harper

Tim Harper is a Professor of the History of Southeast Asia at the University of Cambridge, serving as Head of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences. He is a Fellow of Magdalene College and Director of the Centre for History and Economics. His research focuses on Southeast Asian colonial and postcolonial history, with a particular emphasis on anti-imperial movements, nationalism, and the British Empire's decline.

He has authored seminal works such as Underground Asia: Global Revolutionaries and the Assault on Empire (2020) and co-authored Forgotten Armies (2004) and Forgotten Wars (2007) with Christopher Bayly. His articles explore themes like colonial resistance, diaspora networks, and the socio-political dynamics of decolonization in Southeast Asia.

Harper's scholarship challenges traditional narratives of empire, highlighting grassroots movements and transnational networks. His work bridges academic rigor with accessible storytelling, as seen in Underground Asia, which reinterprets 20th-century imperialism through the lens of radical underground networks.

His research also examines education, state governance, and environmental politics in colonial contexts. He actively contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives at the Centre for History and Economics, fostering collaboration between historians and economists.