Alka Raman

Dr. Alka Raman is an Assistant Professor (Research and Teaching) in Economic and Social History at University College London (UCL). Her research focuses on technological change in global economic history, particularly the impact of Indian cotton textiles on British industrialization. She holds fellowships from the University of Manchester, LSE, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and has published widely on topics like historical dyeing techniques and knowledge transfer. Raman advocates for decolonizing history curricula and collaborates with institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum Group.

• Education: PhD (LSE, 2021), MSc in Economic History (LSE), BA/MA in Political Science (Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi).
• Teaching: Courses include 'British History 1689-1860' and 'Making History'.
• Research Projects: Current book project explores Indian cotton's role in British industrialization. Her 'Charting Chintz' project reconstructs 17th-century Indian dyeing techniques and their European adaptations.
• Awards: Hallsworth Fellowship, ESRC Fellowship, Postan Postdoctoral Fellowship.

She serves on the Economic History Society’s Executive Committee and chairs its Women’s Committee. Her work is exhibited at Winterthur Museum and emphasizes empirical analysis of material culture to reinterpret global economic history.