A leading scholar of transnational anthropology, history and Muslim societies, Engseng Ho (b. 1961, George Town, Malaysia) is Professor of Anthropology and History at Duke University, USA. His research focuses on Arab diasporas and the Indian Ocean, with particular emphasis on Arabia, coastal South Asia and maritime Southeast Asia. Ho is co-editor of Asian Connections, a book series from Cambridge University Press. Previously, he was Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University; Senior Scholar, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies; and Director, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, where he also held the Muhammad Alagil Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Arabia Asia Studies. He has worked as an international economist for the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and the Monetary Authority of Singapore and as a writer for The Economist Group. He was educated at the Penang Free School, Stanford University and the University of Chicago.