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,
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
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
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, 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
In this post, Dr Cui Yan of the Department of China and Inner Asia, shares her thoughts on Lao She, one of the first teachers of Chinese outside of China, and his legacy at SOAS… Lao She, a Beijing native and a Chinese language master, came to SOS (SOAS) to teach Mandarin in 1924 and worked here for five years. During his life, Lao She made great contributions to the
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
I graduated in African studies (Hausa and social anthropology) in 1968. When interviewed, I was told that there was a place on the Hausa programme, a language I knew next to nothing about – pure chance! I subsequently travelled to northern Nigeria to conduct my anthropology research, and this also enabled me to learn more about the rich history of the Hausa people and the complexities of their language. Whilst
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