P. K. Michael Tharakan is a senior academic, historian, and social science researcher from Kerala state in southern India. He was the Chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research and has held several senior academic positions, including Professor at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, and Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University from 2009 to 2013.
Tharakan has authored many books and articles, and is known for his work on documenting and analyzing the history of modern Kerala, such as on land reforms and on social characteristics, such as its focus on health, care-based professions, education, communalis,m and social harmony.