Honouring Past and Present Council Members

Last night, Thursday 13th March, a special lecture was held in honour of Professor Tony Stockwell, who not only served as Royal Asiatic Society President for three terms but also served on the Council for many years and was, until recently, Head of the Library Committee. The Society has much to thank Professor Stockwell for, in terms of modernising and ensuring its continuance, with his duties always carried out with patience and congeniality. The evening was introduced by Vice-President, Dr Gordon Johnson, who outlined the many contributions of Tony to the Society.

After the introduction, Dr Johnson then proceeded to award one of the Society’s bicentenary medals to Tony Stockwell in honour of his services to the Society.

Professor Nick White of John Moores University, Liverpool, a former PhD student of Professor Stockwell, then delivered a lecture in honour of Tony. He spoke on the decolonisation of Malaysia and Singapore from a maritime perspective, allying his research with many references to Tony’s own work in the field.

The lecture was followed by a short question and answer session before celebrating with drinks and delicious canapés. It was lovely to see so many of Tony’s colleagues and friends at the event and able to celebrate with him.

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We are also pleased to announce that a festschrift was recently published to honour Professor Surya Subedi, a Fellow and current Council Member of the Royal Asiatic Society. The Incoherence of Human Rights in International Law, edited by Dr Louisa Ashley and Dr Nicolette Butler with chapters contributed by staff and alumni of the School of Law, and Professor Subedi’s colleagues from universities around the globe, was published by Routledge in London and New York.  The festschrift was launched recently at an event held at the Manchester International Law Centre  (University of Manchester). It recognises Professor Subedi’s “immeasurable lifetime achievement and contribution to international law and human rights scholarship and practice.”

Delivering his keynote speech on ‘A cross-cultural understanding of human rights in international legal discourse’ at the ceremony, Professor Subedi said that:

“The rise of populism and nationalism across the globe is posing an unprecedented challenge to the United Nations rights regime. Democratic governments themselves, including the original architects of the liberal system, have become direct and indirect enablers in the erosion of the universality of human rights by treating human rights as a tool of foreign policy….

“Modern conceptions of human rights came from the collective wisdom of all major civilisations and religious traditions of the world. It is the history of the struggle to check the excesses of the government of the day”.

Professor Subedi called upon human rights scholars to:

“unearth the origins of human rights values in different civilisations, challenge the narrower understanding of the history of human rights and standardized accounts of the events of the past, and question the dominant narratives pushed thus far.”

The Society sends its congratulations to Professor Subedi on this festschrift publication, and wish him many more years of research that challenges our thinking on society and culture.

The Surya P. Subedi Prize, administered by the Society, was initiated in 2023. This Prize, offered by Dr. James J. Busuttil to honour the work and distinguished career of his friend and colleague, is awarded for publication of a book or article on Nepal in English in any one calendar year. Full details of this and other awards created by Dr. Busuttil can be found on our website.

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Next week, on Thursday 20th March, 6.30 pm, Professor Doris Behrens-Abouseif, former Nasser D Khalili professor at SOAS, will lecture on ‘Men’s fashions in Medieval Cairo’.  While dress code in medieval societies was largely defined by religious, political, and social rules, personal preferences could still play a significant role in shaping dress culture. Focussing on Mamluk Cairo, this lecture will document the involvement of sultans and emirs in the design of uniforms and ceremonial outfits to convey their political image, while at the same time, in pursuit of a refined lifestyle, individuals of the elite created fashions and designs that were named to them.  Commoners created fashions as well, but they remained mostly nameless. Combined with social and economic developments over more than two and a half centuries, such initiatives led eventually to significant transformations in the dress culture of medieval Cairo.

All are welcome to join us for this event. If you wish to listen online, please contact Matty Bradley (mb@royalasiaticsociety.org) who will provide you with details for joining the lecture.

Nancy Charley, 14 March 2025.