3010, 2015

SOAS’ incognito academic inspires world’s most famous fictional archaeologist

By Katie Price|October 30, 2015|1920s, SOAS in the world, Uncategorized|0 comments

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.

0510, 2015

The founding and development of the History of Art and Archaeology Department

By Katie Price|October 5, 2015|1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Exhibitions, SOAS in the world, The World at SOAS, Uncategorized|0 comments

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

1206, 2015

Chinese whispers and the art of translation: interview with Göran Malmqvist

By Katie Price|June 12, 2015|1950s, Chinese literature, Leading voices, SOAS in the world, The World at SOAS, Uncategorized|0 comments

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

0105, 2015

The class of 2001: Where are they now? Professor Tony Allan finds out

By |May 1, 2015|2000s, 2010s, Challenging the status quo, Leading voices, SOAS in the world|14 comments

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

1704, 2015

What SOAS means to me: An interview with alum, Johnnie Carson

By |April 17, 2015|1970s, Leading voices, SOAS in the world, What SOAS means to you|0 comments

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

2603, 2015

The generation game: Interview with alum, Asad Zaidi

By |March 26, 2015|1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, Leading voices, SOAS in the world, The World at SOAS, Uncategorized, What SOAS means to you|0 comments

This week, Asad Zaidi shares his thoughts on what SOAS means to him. Asad has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Dr Zawar Zaidi, who studied and lectured at the School before becoming a world authority on South Asia. How did you discover SOAS? I first arrived to study at SOAS in 2012 for my masters, but I had already heard of the School from my grandfather. He

1303, 2015

Jaina Studies at SOAS

By |March 13, 2015|1990s, SOAS in the world|20 comments

This week, Dr Peter Flugel, Reader in the Study of Religions, talks about the journey of the study of Jainism, and how SOAS has played a key role in the development of this field of study. Research in Jainism has a long tradition at SOAS. It is associated with eminent Indologists such as A.L. Basham, D. Derrett, P.S. Jaini, R. Williams and J.C. Wright, who during their spells at

1302, 2015

The role of SOAS in 178 Years of Chinese Studies in the UK

By |February 13, 2015|1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, SOAS in the world, The World at SOAS, Uncategorized, Women at SOAS|0 comments

Exactly 178 years ago, in 1837, the University of London established the UK’s first-ever professorship for Chinese, heralding the founding of Chinese Studies in this country. The Chair of Chinese is linked to a collection of Chinese books donated to the University in 1834 by the missionary Robert Morrison. The “Morrison collection” lay at the basis of what is now one of Europe’s largest collections of Chinese books, held at the

0512, 2014

SOAS centenary: Tell us what makes SOAS special

By |December 5, 2014|1940s, 1960s, Challenging the status quo, Exhibitions, Leading voices, SOAS in the world, The World at SOAS, Themes, timeline, What SOAS means to you, Women at SOAS|0 comments

In June 2016, SOAS begins a year (actually, 13 months!) of celebrations to mark 100 years of excellence in research and teaching. An exhibition in the Brunei Gallery called ‘100 years of SOAS’ will play a major part in these celebrations by showcasing the School’s achievements. On Tuesday 9 December, a 4-metre Timeline will be put up in the SCR. The Timeline was created in 2009 to engage our Honorary