Award Nominations, Call for Papers and New Issue of JRAS
We begin this week’s post with a reminder that three of the Society’s awards are currently open for nominations. These awards are given periodically by the Society to recognise outstanding contributions to scholarship across several fields:
The Royal Asiatic Society Medal (details)
The Royal Asiatic Society Medal is awarded to a scholar who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of Asian Studies.
The Richard Burton Medal (details)
The Sir Richard Burton Medal is awarded to an individual who has undertaken long-term field research in Asia, especially when conducted in close collaboration with local interlocutors or under challenging circumstances. This research may involve either the wide-ranging investigation of a broad cultural or geographic region, or the intensive study of a single locality.
The Denis Sinor Medal for Inner Asian Studies (details)
The Denis Sinor Medal is awarded to honour scholars who have made an exceptional contribution to the field of Inner Asian Studies.
Submission guidelines and further details for each award can be found on their respective pages. If you’re planning to apply, be sure to submit your application by Tuesday, 1 September 2026 – we look forward to seeing your nominations.
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Call for Papers – Conference on Persianate Manuscripts
We’re pleased to announce that the Society will be co-hosting a hybrid conference with the Persian Manuscript Association, an international academic organisation dedicated to the study of manuscripts from the vast Persianate world. Taking place in December 2026, the conference – entitled ‘Leaves in the Wind: Fragmentology of Persianate Manuscripts’ – will examine the global dispersal of Persianate manuscripts and the new opportunities this dispersal creates for research.
We’re now welcoming paper proposals that address the reconstruction and reassembly of dispersed manuscripts and fragments from Greater Iran and the eastern Islamic lands. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
- Persian and Arabic manuscripts
- Armenian manuscripts
- Avestan and Middle Persian (Pahlavi) codices
- Fragments, illustrations, single folios, and partial codices
- Digital methods for manuscript identification and reconstruction
Abstracts should be sent to info@persianmanuscripts.org by Friday 4 September 2026. If you’re interested, please visit the Association’s page for submission guidelines and details of the conference: https://lnkd.in/p/eCCnw6FK.
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New Issue of Journal
The July issue of our Journal is now available to read on Cambridge Core. Fellows of the Society enjoy free online access to all past and current issues of the Journal, by logging in with your RAS account here. 5 out of the 10 articles in this issue are available via Open Access, so these are free for anyone to read. Happy reading!