Professor Andrew Thompson

I am Professor of Global and Imperial History and a Professional fellow at Nuffield College. I am also the co-chair of the Global and Imperial History Centre. My research interests span global histories of humanitarianism, human rights and development; the history of modern globalisation and the relationship between globalisation and empire; the effects of empire on British private and public life during the ninetieth and twentieth centuries; histories of migration and mobility (especially postcolonial migrations to Britain and France); and the history of colonial and apartheid South Africa.

I am currently researching international humanitarianism and human rights and the emergence of the modern aid and development sector. This work forms the subject of my forthcoming book, Humanitarianism on Trial: How global systems of aid and development emerged through the end of empire (Oxford University Press).

Research Interests

• Humanitarianism, NGOs and Human rights
• Imperialism and empire
• Immigration and migration  

My research interests span global histories of humanitarianism, human rights and development; the history of modern globalisation and the relationship between globalisation and empire; the effects of empire on British private and public life during the ninetieth and twentieth centuries; histories of migration and mobility (especially postcolonial migrations to Britain and France); and the history of colonial and apartheid South Africa. I have also written on Anglo-Argentine relations, transnational migration and migrant remittances, and public memories and legacies of empire.

I am currently researching international humanitarianism and human rights and the emergence of the modern aid and development sector. This work forms the subject of my forthcoming book, Humanitarianism on Trial: How global systems of aid and development emerged through the end of empire (Oxford University Press).  I have been given access to previously unseen archives of the United Nations and the International Red Cross.

Part of this research has been published in my 2016 article on Nelson Mandela, political detention on Robben Island and the apartheid in South Africa and my 2015 article entitled ‘Humanitarianism Principles put to the test: Challenges to humanitarian action during decolonisation’, both of these articles were published in the International Review My current research closely aligns with a joint project, in partnership with Professor Sir Mike Aaronson (Honorary Fellow, Nuffield College) on International NGOs and the Long Humanitarian Century: Legacy, Legitimacy and Leading into the Future.

Another line of my research examines postcolonial Britain and immigration in the twentieth century. My research on First Generation Asian Migrants in Britain (2005) was funded by the Institute of Public Policy and this led to invitations to speak at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and DCLG. More recently, I was invited to present evidence to the Home Office as part of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review (2019).

https://www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/andrew-thompson/