The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the cusp of modernity (Part 1) SOAS University of London 2024-07-16 | Part 1 of series.Part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=tV70XlKcjp4Part 3: youtube.com/watch?v=EpyhSfxnhvYPart 4: youtube.com/watch?v=KckjL3iHXXMThe nineteenth century saw the consolidation of the Qajar State and changed relations with the European powers that had been transformed by political, industrial and agricultural revolutions, among them the loss of Britain’s American colonies and the rise of an independent power on the global scene.When Iran emerged from its own turbulent eighteenth century, it entered a new world dominated by expanding colonial and imperial forces, notably Britain and Russia. Among the many consequences were the remorseless losses of territories in the North and East, by the end of which Iran took on the outlines of its present borders. At the same time, the encounter with the West gave rise to dissatisfaction, realisations of weakness, many calls for change and ultimately, revolution.What does the Idea of Iran mean at this period? Can we discern the ways that the Iranians viewed their traditions and their environment (natural and built), their own literature and history, their religious identities, their relations with the increasing number of foreigners? And what was the view of these outsiders, in this period that was so formative of the West’s idea of Iran? What did Iran look like? How does modern scholarship define the distinctive aspects of the period? These are some of the questions we hope to explore in the symposium dedicated to this complex and difficult period from which Iran emerged with a new, secular and nationalist regime that sought to bring the country into line with these outside forces in the twentieth century.
Surveillance in a Leninist Regime: Understanding China’s Surveillance State SOAS University of London 2024-10-09 | Professor Minxin Pei talks about his latest book, The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China, which examines the Chinese surveillance state.China’s surveillance state has attracted much attention in the media, but there is little serious research on its organization, scope, and operational tactics. Evidence gathered from hundreds of local yearbooks and police gazettes shows that the backbone of China's surveillance state is an extensive network of informants and labour-intensive surveillance tactics which is made possible and run effectively by the party's Leninist organizational structure. The adoption of hi-tech surveillance came relatively late – probably around 2010. The Chinese Leninist party-state has the organizational capacity unmatched by other forms of dictatorship in building and maintaining an extensive and labour-intensive network of surveillance to implement preventive repression against potential threats. Hi-tech capabilities strengthen such surveillance, but do not and cannot substitute the underlying organizational structure. About the speaker:Minxin Pei is the Tom and Margot Pritzker ‘72 Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. He is also a non-resident senior fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. In 2019 he was the inaugural Library of Congress Chair on U.S.-China Relations. Prior to joining Claremont McKenna College in 2009, he was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and served as its director of the China Program from 2003 to 2008. He is an opinion columnist for Bloomberg and the author of From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union; China’s Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy; China’s Crony Capitalism: The Dynamics of Regime Decay, and The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China.Chair: Professor Steve Tsang, Director, SOAS China Institute
SOAS Global Development Seminar Series: The Spectre of State Capitalism SOAS University of London 2024-10-07 | The state is back, and it means business. Since the turn of the 21st century, state-owned enterprises, sovereign funds, and policy banks have vastly expanded their control over assets and markets. Concurrently, governments have experimented with increasingly assertive modalities of statism, from techno-industrial policies and spatial development strategies to economic nationalism and trade and investment restrictions.The Spectre of State Capitalism argues that we are currently witnessing a historic arc in the trajectories of state intervention, characterized by a drastic reconfiguration of the state's role as promoter, supervisor, shareholder-investor, and direct owner of capital across the world economy. It offers a comprehensive analysis of this “new state capitalism”, as commentators increasingly refer to it, and maps out its key empirical manifestations across a range of geographies, cases, and issue areas. Alami and Dixon show that the new state capitalism is rooted in deep geopolitical economic and financial processes pertaining to the secular development of global capitalism, as much as it is the product of the geoeconomic agency of states and the global corporate strategies of leading firms. The book demonstrates that the proliferation of muscular modalities of statist interventionism and the increasing concentration of capital in the hands of states indicate foundational shifts in global capitalism. This includes a growing fusion of private and state capital, and the development of flexible and liquid forms of property that collapse the distinction between state and private ownership, control, and management. This has fundamental implications for the nature and operations of global capitalism and world politics.About the speakerDr Ilias Alami is an Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development in the Centre of Development Studies and the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining Cambridge, he held research and teaching positions at Uppsala University, Maastricht University, and Manchester University. He also held visiting positions at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, the University of Johannesburg, and Sciences Po Paris. He holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Manchester. He is the author of Money Power and Financial Capital in Emerging Markets: Facing the Liquidity Tsunami (Routledge, 2019) and (with Adam Dixon) The Spectre of State Capitalism (Oxford University Press, 2024).
The Constitution in Changing India (SSAI Annual Lecture 2024) SOAS University of London 2024-10-01 | ‘The Constitution in Changing India" by Indira Jaising, a renowned Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and former Additional Solicitor General. Indira Jaising was an Additional Solicitor General of India from 2009 to 2014. Currently, she practices in the Supreme Court of India as a Senior Advocate. Educated at the University of Bangalore and the University of Mumbai, Ms Jaising has been a pioneering legal activist and lawyer in India. She was the first woman to be designated a Senior Advocate in the Bombay High Court, and the first woman to be appointed Attorney General of India, a position she held from 2009-2014.
SOAS Library SOAS University of London 2024-09-29 | Pay a quick visit to the UK's National Research Library for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East - one of the SOAS' key attractions and a place you'll spend a lot of time during your study.
Touki | Music from East to West Africa & on to Appalachia SOAS University of London 2024-09-25 | Touki’s sound infuses East and West African styles and traditions with Appalachian banjo, folk motifs, and orchestral arrangements.Expect a night of multi-instrumental music in which the performers joyously switch between kora, banjo, guitar, fiddle, cello and percussion…deploying powerful beats, driving grooves and silky voices that leap from East to West Africa and across to America.
Nabihah Iqbal | SOAS Alumni Stories SOAS University of London 2024-09-20 | Nabihah Iqbal is a musician, DJ, and broadcaster who completed a BA in History and Ethnomusicology at SOAS University of London in 2009. She sat down with us during her world tour to discuss her new album 'Dreamer', her first steps into music, her time at SOAS, and to offer some pearls of wisdom to the SOAS students of today.Chapters:0:00 Intro0:17 How did you get into music?1:17 What made you choose SOAS?2:37 Was there a course that stood out to you?3:48 Did your degree influence your radio show?5:17 How would you describe SOAS?6:06 What are you most proud of in your career this year so far?7:08 What was it like playing at Glastonbury?7:41 What advice would you give to SOAS students?📘 Learn more about SOAS University of London: www.soas.ac.uk 🔔 Subscribe for more inspiring SOAS Alumni Stories.
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Bangladesh receives honorary DSc in Economics from SOAS SOAS University of London 2024-09-16 | On 5 September 2024, SOAS University of London awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) in Economics to Dr. Atiur Rahman in recognition of his life-long research work on poverty reduction and the initiatives that he took as a Governor of the Central Bank of Bangladesh to promote financial inclusion and sustainable finance.Dr. Atiur Rahman is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Center for Advanced Research in Arts and Social Sciences (CARASS), University of Dhaka. He is chairman of the Academic Advisers to UCSI, Bangladesh campus. He is also the founder chairman of Unnayan Shamannay, a national think tank in Bangladesh, specializing on participatory research. He served as the tenth Governor of the Central Bank of Bangladesh during the period 2009-2016. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Rahman highlighted the existential challenges that the humanity and the planet are facing and the important role that SOAS can play in developing the knowledge base for the greening of the minds of tomorrow’s policymakers for a climate-friendly financial ecology. In a public lecture on climate change and central banking that he gave at SOAS on 6 September 2024 Dr Rahman presented in detail the innovative work that he did at the Central Bank of Bangladesh to promote climate-friendly finance and the key role that financial inclusion played in his climate-aligned developmentalist approach to central banking.
DSA2024 Conference: Social Reproduction, Depletion and/in Crisis SOAS University of London 2024-09-16 | Who does social reproductive work when you’re doing political work/activism? That was one of the questions asked by Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS, Shrin Rai. Her talk ‘Social Reproduction, Depletion, and/in Crisis’, which was sponsored by Oxford Development Studies journal, examines work and pursuing redistribution through political activism to centre social justice.
Clearing Stories: Lesley SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | After COVID interrupted her study, Lesley thought she had left it too late to apply to SOAS. But Clearing gave her a way to make a late application and still get into the university of her choice.Join Lesley as she tells us her story while touring the world-famous SOAS Gallery.Apply to SOAS through Clearing: soas.ac.uk/clearing#Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing Stories: Hamza SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Hamza didn't achieve the grades he expected in his A-Levels and worried about an uncertain future. But UCAS Clearing opened the doors to a new opportunity at SOAS - and he's graduating this year!Find out about Clearing at SOAS: soas.ac.uk/clearing #Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing Stories: Millie SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Meet Millie, a student who embarked on her journey at SOAS after her A-Level grades exceeded expectations. Join us as Millie shares her Clearing story and takes a tour of the renowned SOAS Library, showcasing the endless possibilities that await students like you.Apply to SOAS through Clearing: soas.ac.uk/clearing #Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing 2024: Student Advice and Wellbeing SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | At SOAS, the Student Advice and Wellbeing team is here to support your journey at university through the specialist, professional services we offer. Find out more: soas.ac.uk/health-and-wellbeing#Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing at SOAS: How To Apply SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Clearing is a chance to explore new opportunities and find the best university for you. Here’s everything you need to know and tips on what to do on results day. Your step-by-step guide to Clearing: soas.ac.uk/clearing-guide#Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing 2024: Clearing Hotline SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Clearing is really simple and if you're anxious about calling, don't worry - our friendly team is here to help guide you through the process.Your step-by-step guide to Clearing: soas.ac.uk/clearing-guide#Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing Stories: Aminata SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Aminata was set on becoming a doctor, but after some self-reflection during exam time, she realised International Relations was her true passion. Plus, SOAS is just a 20-minute commute from home! 🚆 Ready to find your perfect path?Discover Clearing at SOAS: soas.ac.uk/clearing #Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing 2024: Foundation Year at SOAS SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Not sure what to study? A Foundation Year gives you a chance to dive into a variety of subjects and see what you like before deciding. Apply for a Foundation Year through Clearing at SOAS: soas.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/foundation-years #Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS
Clearing Stories: Alannah SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Alannah made a last-minute decision to change her course and university - and thought she'd left it too late. But a positive call with the SOAS Clearing hotline showed her a new path.Find out more about Clearing at SOAS: soas.ac.uk/clearing#Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Clearing at SOAS SOAS University of London 2024-08-07 | Clearing is a chance to explore new opportunities and find the best university for you, whether you’re applying to university for the first time or have changed your mind.Discover Clearing at SOAS: soas.ac.uk/clearing#Clearing2024 #Clearing #University #SOAS #SOASClearing
Planting Buddhism: Flora in the monasteries of Luoyang SOAS University of London 2024-07-31 | Date: 2nd February 2024In this talk, Natasha Heller seeks to bring the emerging field of plant humanities—which articulates the importance of attending to the role of plants in human history and culture—into conversation with Buddhist Studies. Taking as a case study The Monasteries of Luoyang 洛陽伽藍記, compiled by Yang Xuanzhi 楊衒之in the mid sixth century, Natasha argues that plants played a significant, but overlooked, role in the creation of Buddhist places in medieval China. Although the monastic landscapes described in The Monasteries of Luoyang shared much with the garden culture of medieval China, plants could also take on new meanings in religious contexts. Trees, flowers, and fruits were instrumental in cultivating the sensory and affective dimensions of Buddhism; through plants, temples and monasteries came to feel a certain way. Yet plants were not simply passive objects, and trees especially might be understood to have a certain kind of agency and spiritual potency. As Natasha shows, plants elicited behaviors, thereby co-creating human-vegetal relations that were at the heart of Buddhist placemaking and the growth of the religion. About the speakerNatasha Heller is a cultural historian of Chinese Buddhism with research interests spanning the premodern period (primarily 10th through 14th c.) and the contemporary era. She teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia and is currently a Faculty Fellow of UVA’s Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures.
Dual ordination in post-Mao China: Rediscovering tradition and navigating modernity SOAS University of London 2024-07-31 | Date: 1 March 2024The bhikṣuṇī ordination process known as “dual ordination” (erbuseng jie 二部僧戒), outlined within the Vinaya texts, remained largely disregarded in China for over a millennium. However, it gained significant attention in the 1930s and 1940s, including an exceptional attempt to revive it in 1947, and was reintroduced in Taiwan and Mainland China in the late 1970s and early 1980s, respectively. This presentation relies on the author’s prior research (Bianchi 2019 and 2022) and recently disclosed documents, such as personal letters, official archives, and an annotated version of the procedures, shedding new light on the organization of the first Dual Ordination in Chengdu in 1982. We'll delve into how the two bhikṣuṇīs Longlian 隆蓮 (1909–2006) and Tongyuan 通願 (1913-1991) engaged in discussions, consulted with Vinaya masters, and studied canonical texts. They eventually edited the “Dual Ordination Procedure” (Erbuseng shoujie yishi 二部僧受戒儀式), aligning the Qing dynasty ordination manual with modern needs and ideas, and adapting it to contemporary settings. The current status of Dual Ordinations in China largely stems from their collaborations and mutual agreements.About the speakerEster Bianchi holds a Ph.D. in ‘Indian and East-Asian Civilization’ from the University of Venice (co-tutorial Ph.D. received from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Section des Sciences Religieuses of Paris). She is currently Associate Professor of Chinese Religions and Philosophy and of Society and Culture of China at the Philosophy Department of the University of Perugia (Italy), is external associated researcher of the Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités CNRS-EPHE (2012-), and is currently a contributor of the Research project “Chinese Buddhism in Globalization: States, Communities, and Practices of Religion” (directed by Yoshiko Ashiwa and David Wank, 2020-). Her research is centered on Sino-Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Buddhist monasticism, the revival of Buddhist monastic discipline and, more recently, the rediscovery of early meditation techniques and the spread of Theravāda Buddhist Model in modern Chinese Buddhism.Ester Bianchi is the author of The Iron Statue Monastery, Tiexiangsi: A Buddhist Nunnery of Tibetan Tradition in Contemporary China (Olschki 2001) and of the first Italian translation of the Gaoseng Faxian zhuan (Morlacchi 2013). Her co-edited volumes include Sino-Tibetan Buddhism Across the Ages, co-edited with Shen W. (Brill 2021), and “Take the Vinaya as Your Master”: Monastic Discipline and Practices in Modern Chinese Buddhism, co-edited with D. Campo (Brill 2023).Her main articles include: “Reading Equality into Asymmetry: Dual Ordination in the Eyes of Modern Chinese Bhikṣuṇīs” (Religions, 2022, 13/10, 919); “Revisiting Impurity in Republican China: An Evaluation of the Modern Rediscovery of Bujing guan 不淨觀” (Religion 12, 903, 2021); “Understanding jielü 戒律: The Resurgence and Reconfiguration of Vinaya-Related Concepts in Modern China” (in G. Scott, S. Travagnin eds., Critical Concepts and Methods for the Study of Chinese Religions II, De Gruyter 2020, 55-80); “‘Transmitting the Precepts in Conformity with the Dharma’: Restoration, Adaptation, and Standardization of Ordination Procedures” (in Zhe Ji, G. Fisher, A. Laliberté eds., Buddhism after Mao, University of Hawaii Press 2019, 152-170); and “Yi jie wei shi 以戒為師: Theory and Practice of Monastic Discipline in Modern and Contemporary Chinese Buddhism” (Studies in Chinese Religions, 3/2, 2017, 111-141).
Restoring colossal Buddhas in nature SOAS University of London 2024-07-31 | Full title: 'Restoring colossal Buddhas in nature: A lesson in sustainable heritage conservation from Southwest China'Date: 23 February 2024Since 2000, several high-profile restorations of centuries-old Buddhist monuments in southwest China have raised questions about the value and method of preserving religious icons in a society that reveres tradition but also has a long history of heritage destruction. Focusing on the case of the Laitan Buddha in Hechuan, this lecture brings a sustainability perspective to the debate by discussing how conservation practices and community involvement can contribute to a religio-environmental ethics that encompasses both heritage and nature preservation. More broadly, the present study reconceptualizes art historical research as a form of historical inquiry and at the same time a potential intervention into policies and practices related to the conservation of religious monuments. Maintaining a dual focus on scholarship and its applicability in the real world is central to integrating cultural monuments into the climate debate and sustainability discourse, thereby becoming part of the solution moving forward.About the speakerSonya S. Lee is Professor of Art History, East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Religion at the University of Southern California. She is currently Department Chair of East Asian Languages and Cultures. Dr. Lee has published widely on Buddhist material culture of China and Central Asia. She is the author of Temples in the Cliffside: Buddhist Art of Sichuan (University of Washington Press, 2021) and Surviving Nirvana: Death of the Buddha in Chinese Visual Culture (Hong Kong University Press, 2010). She is also Editor-in-Chief for Grove Art Online, the premier online resource for the visual arts administered by Oxford University Press. Dr. Lee has received prestigious fellowships and honors for her research, including grants from the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Mellon Foundation, Getty Foundation, Japan Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, and American Council of Learned Societies. Her current book project is a study of the art and technology of wall painting of the Silk Road that engages debates in new materialism and posthumanism.
Annual Distinguished Lecture 2024 SOAS University of London 2024-07-22 | From the realm of Lord Millet to an empire of rice: rethinking China’s history through its cropscapes was a Distinguished Lecture given by Professor Francesca Bray (University of Edinburgh) on 28th February 2024 at the SOAS Food Studies Centre, SOAS University of London. To find out more about the centre and our MA programme in the Anthropology of Food, visit: bit.ly/41ZANtp Twitter: x.com/soasfoodstudiesFacebook: facebook.com/AnthropologyOfFoodToday everyone, Chinese included, thinks of China as a civilisation founded on rice as the essential dietary, economic and cultural staple. But millet, not rice, was the grain which sustained the Central States, the northern heartlands of Chinese culture, from earliest times, nourishing people and the state materially and symbolically, and moulding visions of social order and natural process. Starting around a thousand years ago the bounteous rice-harvests of the southern regions steadily ousted millet as the economic foundation of the empire and the predominant staple. As a food, millet became marginal. Yet rice’s symbolic penetration was uneven, incomplete and sometimes startlingly out of step with its material impact. What might we learn from such discrepancies? I propose the concept of cropscape, the assemblage of plants, environment, techniques, social relations, worldviews and ideals within which a crop and its associated foodways flourish or fail over time, to rethink the history of China’s shifting geographies of power and its icons and hierarchies of civilisation, and to raise some broader questions about how we can use food to analyse the interweaving of material and cultural chronologies, geographies and significance.Speaker Biography:Francesca Bray (Professor Emerita of Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh) is an anthropologist and historian of science, technology and medicine in East Asia, specialising in gender and technology, the politics of historiography and the history of agriculture. Her publications on food history include Rice: Global Networks and New Histories (2015), ‘Feeding the body national: rice as self in Malaysia and Japan’ (in Moral Foods, ed. Leung and Caldwell, 2019), ‘Translating the art of tea’ (in Entangled Itineraries, ed. Smith, 2019), Moving Crops and the Scales of History (2023), and ‘Food in medieval China’ (in Bloomsbury Cultural History of Technology, ed. Magnusson, forthcoming).
The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the cusp of modernity (Part 4) SOAS University of London 2024-07-16 | Part 4 of series.Part 1: youtube.com/watch?v=-h0RINwd9C4Part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=tV70XlKcjp4Part 3: youtube.com/watch?v=EpyhSfxnhvYThe nineteenth century saw the consolidation of the Qajar State and changed relations with the European powers that had been transformed by political, industrial and agricultural revolutions, among them the loss of Britain’s American colonies and the rise of an independent power on the global scene.When Iran emerged from its own turbulent eighteenth century, it entered a new world dominated by expanding colonial and imperial forces, notably Britain and Russia. Among the many consequences were the remorseless losses of territories in the North and East, by the end of which Iran took on the outlines of its present borders. At the same time, the encounter with the West gave rise to dissatisfaction, realisations of weakness, many calls for change and ultimately, revolution.What does the Idea of Iran mean at this period? Can we discern the ways that the Iranians viewed their traditions and their environment (natural and built), their own literature and history, their religious identities, their relations with the increasing number of foreigners? And what was the view of these outsiders, in this period that was so formative of the West’s idea of Iran? What did Iran look like? How does modern scholarship define the distinctive aspects of the period? These are some of the questions we hope to explore in the symposium dedicated to this complex and difficult period from which Iran emerged with a new, secular and nationalist regime that sought to bring the country into line with these outside forces in the twentieth century.With greatest thanks to the Soudavar Memorial Foundation for their support.
The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the cusp of modernity (Part 3) SOAS University of London 2024-07-16 | Part 3 of series.Part 1: youtube.com/watch?v=-h0RINwd9C4Part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=tV70XlKcjp4Part 4: youtube.com/watch?v=KckjL3iHXXMThe nineteenth century saw the consolidation of the Qajar State and changed relations with the European powers that had been transformed by political, industrial and agricultural revolutions, among them the loss of Britain’s American colonies and the rise of an independent power on the global scene.When Iran emerged from its own turbulent eighteenth century, it entered a new world dominated by expanding colonial and imperial forces, notably Britain and Russia. Among the many consequences were the remorseless losses of territories in the North and East, by the end of which Iran took on the outlines of its present borders. At the same time, the encounter with the West gave rise to dissatisfaction, realisations of weakness, many calls for change and ultimately, revolution.What does the Idea of Iran mean at this period? Can we discern the ways that the Iranians viewed their traditions and their environment (natural and built), their own literature and history, their religious identities, their relations with the increasing number of foreigners? And what was the view of these outsiders, in this period that was so formative of the West’s idea of Iran? What did Iran look like? How does modern scholarship define the distinctive aspects of the period? These are some of the questions we hope to explore in the symposium dedicated to this complex and difficult period from which Iran emerged with a new, secular and nationalist regime that sought to bring the country into line with these outside forces in the twentieth century.With greatest thanks to the Soudavar Memorial Foundation for their support.
The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the cusp of modernity (Part 2) SOAS University of London 2024-07-16 | Part 2 of series.Part 1: youtube.com/watch?v=-h0RINwd9C4Part 3: youtube.com/watch?v=EpyhSfxnhvYPart 4: youtube.com/watch?v=KckjL3iHXXMThe nineteenth century saw the consolidation of the Qajar State and changed relations with the European powers that had been transformed by political, industrial and agricultural revolutions, among them the loss of Britain’s American colonies and the rise of an independent power on the global scene.When Iran emerged from its own turbulent eighteenth century, it entered a new world dominated by expanding colonial and imperial forces, notably Britain and Russia. Among the many consequences were the remorseless losses of territories in the North and East, by the end of which Iran took on the outlines of its present borders. At the same time, the encounter with the West gave rise to dissatisfaction, realisations of weakness, many calls for change and ultimately, revolution.What does the Idea of Iran mean at this period? Can we discern the ways that the Iranians viewed their traditions and their environment (natural and built), their own literature and history, their religious identities, their relations with the increasing number of foreigners? And what was the view of these outsiders, in this period that was so formative of the West’s idea of Iran? What did Iran look like? How does modern scholarship define the distinctive aspects of the period? These are some of the questions we hope to explore in the symposium dedicated to this complex and difficult period from which Iran emerged with a new, secular and nationalist regime that sought to bring the country into line with these outside forces in the twentieth century.With greatest thanks to the Soudavar Memorial Foundation for their support.
Keshav Suri in conversation with Professor Eddie Bruce-Jones | SOAS Alumni Stories SOAS University of London 2024-07-10 | Keshav Suri is a prominent Indian LGBTQIA+ rights activist and entrepreneur who completed an LLM at SOAS University of London in 2007. He returns to campus to speak with Professor Eddie Bruce-Jones, Head of the School of Law, Gender and Media. They explore Keshav's impactful career, his pivotal role in decriminalising homosexuality in India, and his efforts to create opportunities for marginalised communities through The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group. Chapters:0:00 Intro0:11 Welcome back to SOAS 1:12 Studying law 2:23 Keshav’s career 3:48 LGBTQ+ rights in India 8:50 Diversity and inclusion initiatives 14:59 Advice to your younger self 📘 Learn more about SOAS University of London: www.soas.ac.uk 🔔 Subscribe for more inspiring SOAS Alumni Stories.
Patsap Nyimadrak’s Classification of Buddhist Philosophical Systems by Chizuko Yoshimizu SOAS University of London 2024-07-02 | Title:Buddhist Forum Lecture: Patsap Nyimadrak’s Classification of Buddhist Philosophical Systems by Chizuko Yoshimizu Summary:Chizuko Yoshimizu gives a lecture on on 'Patsap Nyimadrak’s Classification of Buddhist Philosophical Systems: The Svātantrika-Prāsaṅgika Distinction in Twelfth Century Tibet'.The Buddhist Forum is kindly sponsored by the Khyentse Foundation.
JAWARI + Tamar Eskenian | SOAS Concert Series | 1st June 2024 SOAS University of London 2024-06-27 | JAWARI:Tommy Khosla - Artistic Director, SitarLagnajita Mukhopadhyay - Poetry, Bass, Conceptual DevelopmentGregorio Merchán - Tambora, PercussionTaylor Frost - GuitarBillie Sophoclides - SaxophoneKenichi Kojima - Acoustic GuitarMow Ray - Oudhttps://linktr.ee/jawaribandGUEST ARTIST:Tamar Eskenian - Flute and voiceSOUND:Jerry Glasgow and Jake Reynolds
SOAS Inaugural Lecture Series: Professor Stacey Pierson (School of Arts) SOAS University of London 2024-06-14 | In our Summer inaugural lecture, we welcome Professor Stacey Pierson, whose lecture will investigate ways in which fragments of Chinese porcelain, whether formed by accident or intent, have been reused in global design and artistic contexts from the fifteenth century to the present day. With examples ranging from the garden rooms of Lisbon, to new vessels produced in the Ottoman court workshops and the ‘weaving’ of a porcelain polo shirt by a contemporary Chinese artist, this lecture will reveal the surprisingly long and global history of the reuse, refashioning and upcycling of broken Chinese porcelain.Professor Stacey Pierson was made Professor of the History of Chinese Ceramics in 2022. She first joined SOAS as Assistant Curator of the Percival David Foundation in 1995, becoming Curator in 1998. While working at the museum she was awarded a doctorate by the University of Sussex with a dissertation on the history of Chinese art in the museum and academia, supervised by Craig Clunas. She joined the Art and Archaeology Department in 2007 and has continued to curate exhibitions and publish widely on aspects of Chinese ceramics and histories of collecting.
SOAS Inaugural Lecture Series: Professor Michael Jennings (School of Development Studies) SOAS University of London 2024-06-14 | This lecture looks back at the first Development Decade of the 1960s, with particular focus on the ways in which ideas around global solidarity, local action and radical ideas of decolonised practice were reflected in Tanzanian development. Professor Jennings reflects on how echoes from the past are reflected in contemporary global development debates. This inaugural lecture is both a return to the start of Professor Jennings research career, and a look forward to new ways in which historical explorations of global development can speak directly to contemporary concerns, debates and challenges.Speaker:Professor Michael JenningsProfessor Jennings' research career began with a focus on the history of development in east Africa in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Our internship experience at SOAS: Lizi, Aanya and Lesley SOAS University of London 2024-06-13 | Lizi, Aanya and Lesley talk about their internship experience working with academics to create a unique Decolonising Philosophy Curriculum Toolkit.SOAS Co-Creator Internships are an opportunity for undergraduate students to work as paid interns on SOAS projects covering a wide range of teaching and learning development. For this project, four students worked with four academic philosophers to create a guide on how to decolonise philosophy teaching and learning.Find out more: soas.ac.uk/soas-careers-internship-programmes
How do we tackle the global climate crisis and create a fairer, more sustainable world? SOAS University of London 2024-06-10 | A SOAS academic and analyst from different disciplines meet to discuss the world's biggest challenges. Dr Harald Heubaum and Saru Gupta share their expertise on the role of politics and business in creating a sustainable future that is just and fair across the world.Apply to SOAS: soas.ac.uk/study/apply-soas
How does art shape the world around us? SOAS University of London 2024-06-10 | Two SOAS academics from different disciplines meet to discuss the world's biggest challenges. Dr Ida Hadjivayanis and Dr Marcus Gilroy-Ware share their expertise and insights on the role of art and language in preserving traditions, history and memory in today's world - and what AI may change.Apply to SOAS: soas.ac.uk/study/apply-soas
How do we reduce inequality? SOAS University of London 2024-06-10 | Two SOAS academics from different disciplines meet to discuss the world's biggest challenges. Professor of Economics Ha-Joon Chang and Professor of Development Studies Naomi Hossain share their expertise and insights on how to empower vulnerable people - both economically and socially. Apply to SOAS: soas.ac.uk/study/apply-soas
Human rights in a divided world SOAS University of London 2024-06-10 | Two SOAS academics from different disciplines meet to discuss the world's biggest challenges. Dr Yuka Kobayashi and Dr Michelle Staggs Kelsall share their expertise and insights on human rights between and within states and what technological advances mean for privacy and ethics. Apply to SOAS: soas.ac.uk/study/apply-soas
Healing Ragas with Baluji Shrivastav OBE SOAS University of London 2024-06-06 | Indian maestro Baluji Shrivastav OBE will perform an uplifting concert on sitar accompanied by Sukhdeep Dhanjal on tabla. In Indian philosophy sound is the creative energy - Shakti - of the universe. An accomplished musician can harness this energy to evoke different states of mind - Rasas - in the listener. Join Baluji on a harmonious musical journey to inner peace.The SOAS Concert Series is supported by SOAS University Library.
What does free speech have to do with Palestinian liberation? SOAS University of London 2024-06-04 | The systematic erasure of Palestine that has taken place over the course of the long 20th and 21st centuries has increasingly involved the suppression of pro-Palestine activism. In this lecture, I examine the role that the struggle for free speech plays in Palestinian liberation. I attend to the means through which pro-Palestine speech and activism have been suppressed through quasi-legal means, including the IHRA definition of antisemitism. I argue that free speech is best understood not as a means of balancing different opposing sides, but rather as a dimension of human freedom. One implication of this approach is that the struggle for Palestinian self-determination has a specific contribution to make to our understanding of free speech in general. Finally, I consider what the ongoing genocide in Gaza means for the future of Palestine activism.About the speaker:Rebecca Ruth Gould’s most recent book is Erasing Palestine: Free Speech and Palestinian Freedom (Verso, 2023). She is also the author, with Malaka Mohammed Shwaikh, of Prison Hunger Strikes in Palestine: A Strategic Perspective (International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, 2023). Her commentary on the politics of defining antisemitism and Middle Eastern politics has been featured in Political Quarterly, Prospect Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Nation, The New Arab, Jacobin, and Middle East Eye. She is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Poetics and Global Politics, SOAS, and Primary Investigator for the European Research Council-funded project Global Literary Theory (GlobalLIT).Chair: Dina Matar (SOAS)
A Thousand Cuts: Social protection in the age of austerity SOAS University of London 2024-06-03 | Alexandros Kentikelenis and Thomas Stubbs will be presenting their systematic assessments of how austerity has impacted people's lives and livelihoods around the world, including new findings on the impact of International Monetary Fund programs on social protection.The dominant policy response to economic crises over the past four decades has been the introduction of austerity—a mix of budget cuts and reforms to downsize the role of the state. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been the world's lender of last resort and leading advocate of austerity, and has been consistently chastised by policymakers and civil society for the consequences of its economic policy reforms on social protection. Critics of the IMF have identified structural adjustment programs as a key cause of global increases in poverty, widespread disease, and unemployment. In the face of such criticisms, the IMF has advanced a narrative of wholesale reform to its practices.In A Thousand Cuts, Alexandros Kentikelenis and Thomas Stubbs provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of IMF policies around the world. Based on novel data from the IMF archives, they have generated a replicable database of all IMF-mandated reforms from 1980-2019 to examine their effects on social policies and outcomes. They reveal that although the precise content of IMF-mandated austerity has changed over time, the organization continues to place a high burden of reform on countries in crisis. These reforms then decrease the availability of important social services and contribute to rises in income inequality and decline in population health. They argue that in spite of reform rhetoric, the IMF's practices—and the outcomes they produce—have changed very little over the past three decades.About the speakers:Alexandros Kentikelenis is an Associate Professor of Political Economy and Sociology at Bocconi University in Milan. His research focuses on decision-making within global governance and the social consequences of economic policies. Thomas Stubbs is a Reader in Global Political Economy at Royal Holloway, University of London. He also holds an associate position at the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the activities of international financial institutions and their relationship with economic policy and outcomes throughout the Global South. He is also the curator of the IMF Monitor website, a data hub used by academics, civil societies, and policymakers to track the activities of the International Monetary Fund.This event is part of the SOAS Development Studies and Development for Transformation Centre (DevTraC) Seminar Series.
Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry Memorial Lecture: To Hong Kong and Back Again SOAS University of London 2024-05-30 | Full title: 'To Hong Kong and back again: Parsi charity and building Bombay'Parsis (Indian Zoroastrians), a micro-minority are well-known in Bombay-Mumbai for their philanthropic giving. The community in the city, through its ties to shipbuilding, and the tea trade, has had a sustained relationship with Hong Kong.This paper wishes to show how these nineteenth century trade profits were invested in urban real estate in colonial Bombay and recent years have seen a resurgence of funds transferred from Parsi charitable trusts in Hong Kong back to Mumbai, as giving connects the two cities together.About the speakerLeilah Vevaina is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University in Hong Kong. She received her PhD in Social Anthropology from the New School for Social Research in 2015. She has an MA in Anthropology from The New School (2007) as well as an MA in Social Thought from New York University (2005). Her research lies in the intersection of urban property and religious life within the legal regimes of contemporary India. She has conducted fieldwork in Mumbai, India and Hong Kong, with specific focus on the Indian Zoroastrian, or Parsi, community. Her book entitled, Trust Matters: Parsi Endowments in Mumbai and the Horoscope of a City (2023, Duke University Press) focuses on religious endowments and the trust as a mechanism of property management in the city.In addition to her focus on Zoroastrian global philanthropic networks, Leilah is researching Zoroastrian death rituals and their legal and funerary infrastructures for a new book on necrofinance and death and diaspora. Her forthcoming project seeks to research the connection between gambling and charity in history and contemporary of Hong Kong.Leilah Vevaina is also the founding Director of the South Asia from Asia Initiative at Chinese University which aims to bring together research and teaching on South Asia in Hong Kong in collaboration with other departments and university partners.
Vice-Chancellors Lecture Series: University financing: has the model broken and can it be fixed? SOAS University of London 2024-05-29 | The common view in the sector from academics to unions, Vice Chancellors and students is that universities in the UK are in a financial crisis. Student fees have not increased for over 10 years despite external financial pressures. Financial experts now say that the government’s underestimation of inflation means students have less spent on their teaching than at any other time since fees tripled in 2012. The tension between the financial reliance on international students versus government pressure to restrict and reduce immigration numbers, places even greater pressure on university finances. Many universities – around one third today – face the reality of restructuring. The closure of departments, the inadequate support for students and the nature of international fees is the result of a lack of financial stability. At this next SOAS Vice-Chancellor’s Lecture Series event, Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President of King’s College London and Professor Nicholas Barr FRSA, Professor of Public Economics at the London School of Economics, join SOAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib to discuss solutions to what many see as a broken operational model in higher education. The discussion will ask how can we establish a more solid financial footing for universities, is free higher education possible and if so, on what terms? What is the appropriate mix - if any - between fees and government subsidy. The talk will also look at the reliance on international fees asking should this be the mechanism by which to cross-subsidise domestic fees and research? What about the morality of draining resources from the Global South to finance the domestic obligations of the Global North? Speakers:Professor Shitij Kapur Vice-Chancellor & President of King’s College London Professor Shitij Kapur returned to lead King’s College London in June 2021 after four years at the University of Melbourne, where he was Dean and Assistant Vice Chancellor (Health) for the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and the interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (International). During his time in Melbourne, Professor Kapur significantly increased the educational footprint of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, introducing innovative models of learning, increasing both research income and impact, while doubling philanthropic support. Professor Kapur is globally recognised for his research on understanding psychosis and antipsychotic treatment and has received many awards and honorary fellowships including the honours of Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK), Fellow of the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (Australia) and Fellow of King's College London. Professor Nicholas Barr FRSA Professor of Public Economics at the London School of Economics Professor Nicholas Barr FRSA is a Professor in Public Economics at the London School of Economics. The heart of his work is an exploration of how market failures both explain and justify the existence of welfare states. His policy work includes periods at the World Bank and IMF. Since the mid 1980s he has been active in the debate on higher education finance - he and his colleague Iain Crawford having been described as the architects of the 2006 reforms in England. He is also involved in pensions policy, including advice to the government of China, and as a member of a Presidential Commission on Reform of the Pension System in Chile. He is the author of numerous articles, and author or editor of over twenty books, including The Economics of the Welfare State (6th edition, 2020), Financing Higher Education: Answers from the UK, 2005 (with Iain Crawford), and Pension Reform: A Short Guide, 2010 (with Peter Diamond).
Rethinking British Foreign Policy SOAS University of London 2024-05-20 | British foreign policy has lost its way. Recent governments have pursued a policy based on wishful thinking rather than hard reality. It needs re-thinking from scratch. This lecture sets out to explore what a new policy should look like, taking account of recent changes in geopolitical realities, of the real costs of Brexit to Britain, and of Britain’s underlying economic and strategic interests. By establishing four core pillars of foreign policy, Britain can respond more effectively to the international challenges and crises of the coming years. This new strategy should be defined before the next government comes into office. Otherwise it is at risk of being buffeted by events and forced to make policy up as it goes along – to the detriment of all.Speaker: Dr Nick Westcott, Department of Politics and International Studies, Professor of PracticeModerator: Professor Matt Nelson, Dept of Politics and International Studies, SOAS Discussant: Olivia O’Sullivan, Director, UK in the World Programme, Chatham HouseLecture notes: bit.ly/4ar3kvl
Full Council (trailer) SOAS University of London 2024-05-14 | Directed by Richard Axelby and Shirley van der Maarel. On the first Wednesday of each month, the 84 councillors elected to Sheffield City Council meet in the Town Hall. Presided over by the Lord Mayor, what happens over the course of an afternoon mixes competitive display, angry debate, moments of comedy and serious drama. Filmed from the floor of the chamber and interspersed with interviews from the leading participants, “Full Council” provides an unusually human glimpse into the rituals and decision-making processes that have consequences for the city outside.
Mugut (Trailer) SOAS University of London 2024-05-14 | Directed by Mitiku Gabrehiwot and Tesfahun Haddis, this film reveals how Sheffield’s political culture is viewed by two anthropologist film makers from Ethiopia. In this film we see dedicated citizens fight back against the closure of their favourite café and a young British-Somali campaigning to represent his community, vimeo.com/893519912
New Technologies of Gender in Chinese Digital Entertainment: How Algorithms Rewrite History SOAS University of London 2024-05-13 | Speaker: Professor Geng Song (University of Hong Kong)Event Date: 13 May 2024 Event webpage: soas.ac.uk/about/event/new-technologies-gender-chinese-digital-entertainment-how-algorithms-rewrite-history
Anthony Hyman Memorial Lecture 2024 - The Taliban back in power SOAS University of London 2024-05-13 | 'Anthony Hyman Memorial Lecture 2024 - The Taliban back in power: Taking stock of the second Islamic Emirate' with Kate Clark was an event hosted by the SOAS Centre of Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus, sponsored by Central Asian Survey, on 14th March 2024. As Afghanistan approaches the third anniversary of the Taliban’s capture of power, Kate Clark assesses the group’s record in government.Drawing on her experience not only as a reporter during the first Islamic Emirate but also the two-decades of the Islamic Republic and the Western intervention that sustained it, she looks at how the Taliban have consolidated power, established their rule over the Afghan people, especially women and girls, used the state institutions they inherited from the Republic and enjoyed the ‘peace dividend’.She focusses on the Taliban’s handling of the post-August 2021 economy, aid industry and public finances – their much touted ‘less corrupt’ approach to revenue collection, alongside various information black holes when it comes to spending and contracting. Finally, she circles back to the Taliban’s 2001 ousting and asks whether the nature of victory – or defeat – can carry the seeds of a new power cycle. Further details: soas.ac.uk/about/event/anthony-hyman-memorial-lecture-2024-taliban-back-power-taking-stock-second-islamic
Remembering Akira Toriyama: From Dragon Ball to modern Manga SOAS University of London 2024-05-07 | 'Remembering Akira Toriyama: From Dragon Ball to modern Manga' with Dr Satona Suzuki and Dr Filippo Cervelli was an event co-hosted by the SOAS Library and the SOAS Japan Research Centre on 1st May 2024. Since the news of manga artist Akira Toriyama’s passing in early March 2024, fans, artists, and even heads of state in all corners of the world have been in mourning.Toriyama’s work, from Dr Slump to, more notably, Dragon Ball, is for many synonymous with manga. Not only that, his creations have influenced deeply the comics and animation industry, and the way in which Japan was perceived worldwide. Two months after the author’s death, this event celebrates his legacy by bringing together experts in Japanese Studies to discuss his work and its cultural impact. The panel considered questions such as how Toriyama contributed to Japan’s soft power, how he influenced other manga authors and the genre of shōnen, and the evolution of the concept of franchising a manga. Through the discussions, our panellists paid tribute to this influential author, while also reflecting on how other artists have honoured his memory.In addition, the event will gave an opportunity to the audience to share how Toriyama touched their lives. Further details: soas.ac.uk/about/event/remembering-akira-toriyama-dragon-ball-modern-manga
Inaugural Lecture Series: Prof. Phil Clark & Prof. Dafydd Fell (Politics and International Studies) SOAS University of London 2024-05-03 | In our first inaugural lecture of 2024, we welcomed Professor Phil Clark and Professor Dafydd Fell from the Department of Politics, who presented lectures on Rwanda under the Rwandan Patriotic Front: Assessing 30 Years of Post-Genocide Recovery and Alternative Politics in Taiwan: The Birth of Asia's First Green Party respectively.April 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi population in Rwanda. Drawing on more than 20 years of field research in Rwanda, in his lecture Professor Clark assesses how far the country has come since the Genocide in terms of justice, reconciliation, socio-economic equality and civic freedom.In the second lecture of the night, Professor Fell discusses how a conversation with a SOAS student led to a decade long journey researching Taiwan's Green political parties. This inaugural lecture focuses on the party's first year, including its formation, first election and relationship with the international Green Party movement.
SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies’ book-talk; Rethinking Contemporary Art in Iran SOAS University of London 2024-04-29 | Rethinking the Contemporary Art of Iran, edited by Hamid Keshmirshekan, seeks to articulate an alternative narrative of Iranian art in recent times, diverging from the prevalent portrayals often found in publications derived from exhibitions or collections in Western Europe and North America.Its aim is to embrace a diverse range of cultural expressions, each contributing to a vibrant mosaic that represents the multifaceted realities of the country – realities frequently overlooked in recent publications. It comprises essays that aim to provide multiple perspectives on contemporaneity, plurality and historical context, offering extensive insights into contemporary art practices both within Iran and among the diasporas. The book also includes works by artists, accompanied by texts elaborating on their oeuvre and the pieces featured. This section is divided into three categories: “Societal and Cultural Resonance,” “Fantastical Visions,” and “Echoes of History,” each focusing on a specific artistic approach.Image credit: Pooya Aryanpour, Gone with the Wind 2022.About the speakersProfessor Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in the New York City. He has authored more than two dozen books, edited four, and contributed chapters to many others. He is also the author of over 100 essays, articles and book reviews on subjects ranging from Iranian and Islamic Studies, comparative literature, world cinema, and the philosophy of art (trans-aesthetics). His books and essays have been translated into many languages. Professor Dabashi will join the talk virtually.Dr Venetia Porter was Senior Curator for Islamic and Contemporary Middle East art at the British Museum and is currently Honorary Research Fellow at the British Museum and the Courtauld Institute of Art. She curated several iconic exhibitions at the British Museum, and her research and publications cover topics ranging from Yemeni history and Arabic inscriptions to contemporary art. Her most recent publication is Artists making books: poetry to politics (2023).Ghazaleh Avarzamani is an interdisciplinary artist whose large-scale sculptures and installations typically involve interactivity and play. She has presented exhibitions at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto Biennial, Dhaka Art Summit and Frieze Sculpture Park, London. Her works are held in collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Rockefeller Center, Arsenal Contemporary, MOCA Toronto and TD Art Collection.Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan is an art historian and Research Scholar at Columbia University. He was the Senior Scholar at the Khalili Research Centre, Oxford University; Associate Professor at the Advanced Research Institute of Art, Iranian Academy of Arts; and Associate Fellow in the History of Art Department, Oxford University.ChairDr Seyed Ali Alavi, Co-Director, SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies.
