Nearly 55 years after it happened, SOAS alumnus Brian Evans, a former Canadian diplomat and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta, recalls the discovery that fellow language student Gordon Lonsdale was actually Soviet intelligence officer Konon Molody. I entered SOAS in early October 1954, a raw young man from the Canadian Prairies. New to London, it took me several tours of Russell Square that foggy morning before a break
Dr Stacey Pierson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology, remembers treasures, now housed in the British Museum, that drew collectors and specialists from around the world to SOAS. In 1952, a new museum opened at SOAS, showcasing one of the finest collections of Chinese ceramics in the world. The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, at 53 Gordon Square, was named after its founder,
Remembering a diplomatic spat caused by Japanese lecturer William McGovern In 2015, few places in our world are inaccessible to the daring field academic or discerning traveller. Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet in the Himalayas, is one of the world’s highest and remotest cities; yet, if you charter a plane from London, it can be reached in approximately 17 hours. The story in the early 1920s, however, was very different.
by the first official member of the Department, Emeritus Professor Elizabeth H Moore, who retired in July 2015. My connections to SOAS began in 1981 as a doctoral student with the late Professor Anthony Christie. In 1986, after completing my PhD at the Institute of Archaeology under the wise supervision of Dr Ian Glover, I became a Research Associate with the Centre of South East Asian Studies (CSEAS). The late
Richard Rathbone, Professorial Research Associate, Department of History remembers the SOAS scholar who went on to be an internationally celebrated radical intellectual before his assassination in 1980. The revolutionary historian Walter Anthony Rodney studied for his PhD at SOAS between 1963 and 1966. Born in Guyana, Rodney achieved a first class degree in history at the University College of the West Indies in Jamaica before coming to London. At SOAS
Professor Göran Malmqvist recalls SOAS in the early ’50s with some of the world’s most influential European sinologists during this time. Professor Göran Malmqvist is a prominent scholar of Chinese language and literature and a highly prolific translator of Chinese literary works into Swedish. He is known worldwide for being the only Chinese speaker in the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Prize for Literature. He translated work by both
This week, Andy Davies talks about the distinctive home of the world-renowned SOAS Library and explains why the building should be given greater recognition. Denys Lasdun (1914-2001) was in the vanguard of modern British architecture. A product of the Architectural Association, his talents grew under Wells Coates and at Tecton in the 1930s. Perhaps most celebrated for his Royal College of Physicians (completed in 1964), his University of East Anglia
Angelica Baschiera is the Manager of the Centre of African Studies (CAS) at SOAS. She has been at the School for 20 years and is also one of a number of staff to study here. This week she shares what attracted her to the School, her passion for African history and what it feels like being part of a wider community. I came to SOAS in 1995 from Italy as
This week, Professor Tony Allan looks back on the work of the Water Studies Group as three of his former students talk about their studies, careers and contributions to international development. Professor Allan retired in 2002 and remains active internationally. He still specialises in the analysis of water resources in semi-arid regions and on the role of global systems in ameliorating regional water deficits. In 2008 he was awarded the
Johnnie Carson is a diplomat and Senior Advisor to the US President. He graduated from SOAS with a BA International Studies in 1976. Here, he shares his experiences of his time at SOAS and his aspirations for the School’s future. Read the stories and memories of alumni from the1970s and other decades by visiting the alumni pages on the SOAS website. Why did you choose SOAS as the place to