Typhoon hit historian's agenda

Typhoons occupied much of South East Asian history expert Professor Jim Warren's thoughts during his time as the Visiting Professor at the Asia Research Institute in Singapore.

During his residency Professor Warren began an investigation into how typhoons have affected society in the Philippines from the Fifteenth Century until present day.

'This study takes seriously what has been generally ignored by historians, the impact of climate on society. Through investigation over this long-term view, we can analyse events and processes from indigenous points of view,' he said.

'The perennial problem confronting the historian has always been achieving balance in the historical record, removing social bias. I have always taken a transhistorical and transcultural view, linking detailed research of a local situation to a wider regional and global systems. I have attempted to create a history based on people's lived experience while paying careful attention to the larger historical processes that have shaped this experience.'

In previous work Professor Warren has been concerned with slavery and forms of coerced labour - grappling with methodological problems in resurrecting the voices of the 'little people', such as labourers, fishers or slaves, and finding a place for them in the historical narrative.