2609, 2014

The Papers of Eva Dykes Spicer, Missionary Educator in China and Nigeria 1923 – 1958

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|26th September 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

This weeks guest blog has been written by Rosemary Seton, formerly head of archives at SOAS and now a Research Associate in the Department of History, and uncovers a new collection of personal papers held at SOAS Archives, which have been recently catalogued and made available to researchers. The papers of Eva Spicer (reference: PP MS 92), who taught at Ginling College in Nanjing, China for twenty-eight years and then went on to

1909, 2014

Pirates, Shipping and Merchants on the North China Coast

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|19th September 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

Okay, so we are going back in time a little bit by blogging about this exhibition which we created in October 2012, but it is International ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’! We included some of these items in our recent display of material as part of our Annual Open Day and they went down a storm (maritime related punning purely accidental!), so we thought you might like to hear more

0509, 2014

UN International Day of Charity: NGO & Charity Archives at SOAS Library

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|5th September 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

To celebrate UN International Day of Charity – which takes place this year on the 5th September – we are today looking in a little more detail at the archives of charities & nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) available to the public here at SOAS Archives. SOAS Archives seeks to play a national role in the preservation of the heritage of UK-based NGOs and charitable bodies who work in the fields of

2908, 2014

Why Archives Matter? The English Presbyterian Mission collection at SOAS

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|29th August 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

This week’s guest blog has been written by Niki Alsford, Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of History, and Research Fellow at the SOAS Centre for Taiwan Studies. Niki discusses the significance of the archives of the English Presbyterian Mission, held here at SOAS, for the study of the history of Taiwan and its’ indigenous peoples. Ensuring that the records of today are preserved for the future generations of tomorrow

2308, 2014

Anti-slavery literature and papers within the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society Archive

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|23rd August 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

To mark the United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on 23rd August each year, we are highlighting some papers collected and created by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society on the campaign against slavery. The archive of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society, held at SOAS, contains the minutes, correspondence, visual material and personal papers, documenting the missionary endeavours around the globe of a

1208, 2014

World Indigenous Day: Survival International Papers on Resettlement in Ethiopia

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|12th August 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

To mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – which took place on the 9th August – we are today highlighting the Survival International collection of research papers on resettlement and villagisation in Ethiopia which are available at SOAS Archives. Survival International & Resettlement and Villagisation in Ethiopia Survival International is a global human rights non-governmental organisation (NGO) which campaigns for the protection of the rights of tribal, indigenous,

0108, 2014

The Man Who Wouldn’t Run on a Sunday: Eric Liddell in the SOAS Archives

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|1st August 2014|Collections & Research|

As Scotland prepares for the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2014, our blog this week looks back on a famous Scottish sporting hero who appears in the SOAS Archive collections. Eric Liddell achieved fame as an Olympic athlete whose life is chronicled in the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire. Born in Tientsin [Tianjin], China, 16 January 1902, to Scottish missionary parents, he was educated at the London Missionary Society

2507, 2014

Sir Reginald Johnston – The Last Emperor’s Fan

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|25th July 2014|Collections & Research|1 comments

This month’s piece has been written by our guest blogger, Jiyeon Wood, Subject Librarian (Arts & Multi-Media), SOAS Library. It highlights one of a small number of historical artefacts held by SOAS Archives. While I was researching the library’s special Chinese Art collection, I came across this remarkable fan. According to the records, this fan, donated to the Percival David Foundation, became part of the SOAS collection in 2009. With its

0407, 2014

The Arts of Southeast Asia from the SOAS Collections

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|4th July 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

A new and exciting exhibition in the Foyle Special Collections Gallery of the Brunei Gallery, entitled The Arts of Southeast Asia from the SOAS Collections, is now running until 2 July 2016. The exhibition highlights the breadth of the region’s cultures as represented in the SOAS collections. It demonstrates the long-term engagement of SOAS Staff and Alumni, whose research and travels have brought this variety of objects to the School. Curated

2906, 2014

The Photographs of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|29th June 2014|Collections & Research|0 comments

As it is World Camera Day today, we thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the work of anthropologist, Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Born and educated in Vienna, Haimendorf studied anthropology and archaeology at the Theresianische Akademie at the University of Vienna before working for a few years in Vienna as a research assistant. He was awarded a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation that enabled him to study at