SOAS University of London is the only higher education institution in Europe specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It is a global academic base with the highest concentration of experts focusing on these regions in Europe.
Our scholars grapple with pressing issues – from democracy, development, human rights and identity to legal systems, poverty, religion and social change. Crucially, our experts critique the world from the perspective of our regions to provide in-depth and informed analysis on some of the most challenging issues in our time.
SOAS is also a guardian of specialised knowledge in languages and regions not available anywhere else in the UK. The SOAS Library is one of the most important resources for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East as well as our Archives and Special Collections which document British interaction with Africa and Asia over the last 250 years.
In a world where globalisation works to shrinks borders, but where nationalism, difference and regionalism also present themselves acutely, SOAS is distinctively positioned to analyse, understand and explain.
It has been an exciting month for Africa, not least for the highly controversial elections in Tanzania, where the annulment of the entire vote in Zanzibar has played an important role in extending the…
President Buhari of Nigeria has finally named his cabinet. He was either slow, or he was very choosy, or he couldn’t find enough honest people. Certainly his 55th national anniversary speech was full of…
The Marikana tragedy has indicated the violent nature of the struggles over resources and income shares. Inequality must be fought because it perpetuates social injustice.
I spent most of August 2015 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia – a depressing and mournful tour indeed. The place I stayed in South Africa, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, is atypical. I am almost…
There’s a fierce debate underway about changing university curricula in Africa and the UK to be less Eurocentric. Three academics offer their suggestions for a decolonised reading list.
The 2015 elections in Nigeria were chaotic, but the country’s voters displayed immense courage in showing up at all. More than 20 people were killed, not in electoral violence between competing parties…
Professorial Research Associate at Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Centre for Creative Industries, Media and Screen Studies, SOAS, University of London